


Honey, Just Keep Buzzin'

by smileybagel



Series: Bee Hive [1]
Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Beekeeper AU, F/F, Good Dad!Jack, Hispanic Character, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Language Barrier, M/M, Mutual Pining, Neighbor au, Prompt Fic, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Unresolved Sexual Tension, roommate au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-11
Updated: 2017-03-21
Packaged: 2018-04-25 20:33:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 56,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4975555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smileybagel/pseuds/smileybagel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"We'll put an ad up in the paper or something, or on Craigslist. Can't be that hard to find a roomie without a bee allergy." They could've gotten another cramped apartment for around the same price, but Vaughn had seen the ad for their new house and couldn't believe the asking price. </p><p>The great deal on the place? Well the guy next door was a huge <i>dick</i> to everyone when he was home, and his presence drove the property value around him down. But he paid everything on time and in full, so nothing could be done about it. The neighbors couldn't even call the local authorities because nothing this Mr. Lawrence did could be even considered disrupting the peace, he was just incredibly unpleasant.</p><p>---</p><p>Tumblr prompt fic, based on: “Fuck you and your bee farm I’ve had enough” AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Right so, this story is probably overly ambitious and I'm in over my head, but I'll try my best to keep updates comin' out, even if there's quite a bit of time between them. 
> 
> For this AU, robotics and technology are still advanced enough for there to be the ECHOnet, and for Rhys to have his implants and prosthetic, just because I think those are really essential parts of his character, but other typical Borderlands stuff is not possible, like moonshots and the planet of Pandora itself.

The day was beautiful, with the wind presenting them with a nice breeze, birds singing in the trees, and the sun...

Well the sun was being a _right dick_ , beating down on them as they (they being Rhys, Vaughn, and a friend of a friend named August) carried boxes from the moving truck into their new home. _Rhys and Vaughn's_ new home, that is. August was just there because he lost a bet, and the loser had to help the others with their moving adventure while the winner sipped lemonade on the front porch. August made sure to kick the leg of Fiona's chair with each pass of it he made, whether he was lugging boxes marked with "kitchen" into the home or groaning as he walked back into the sun to get the next box. Fiona, on the other hand, made sure to slurp loudly from her lemonade while making direct eye contact with August as he walked up the porch.

The day _was_ beautiful.

Just then, Rhys came over from the truck, carrying a small box and grinning from ear to ear. With the furniture having been moved in first, they had nothing more to worry about once Rhys got that box inside. He said as much, stopping in front of Fiona with the box propped up on one hip. He was glad to be done, too, as his arm's battery was just about fizzled out.

"Last one?" Fiona asked, looking up at him from under the brim of her hat. A straw one this time, Rhys noted, with a magenta ribbon around it. Cute.

"Yep!" The pop of the "p" was exaggerated, Rhys' excitement over being done leaking into his speech. Fiona finished off her lemonade, quietly, and stood up from her chair. She wasted no time in pushing the empty glass into Rhys' free hand before walking down the porch steps, waving at him from over her shoulder.

"You owe me, Rhys!" From the back of the truck, August barked out a laugh before he pulled on the rope to close the door, the metal making a loud bang as it met the bed of the truck.

"I'll uh, I'll cook dinner for you this week! Tell Sasha to come too!"

Fiona climbed into the driver's seat of the truck with another wave at Rhys, waiting for August to jump in the passenger side before she started it up.

With a mental note to buy groceries soon, Rhys went inside, stepping around the haphazardly placed boxes and pieces of furniture to find a free space to set the last box. He found a relatively out of the way spot to place it, and then walked into the kitchen, where his friend and roommate Vaughn was unpacking cooking essentials.

"So like," Vaughn began, still digging around in a box. "This is pretty cool, right?"

Rhys rolled his eyes and began to unpack too, pulling out newspaper-wrapped dishes from another box. "If by cool you mean awesome, then _schyeah_."

"Still can't believe the deal we got on this place, bro. All because of a neighbor who's not even in town that often. Though we really could've used Yvette, you know?" Vaughn shrugged as he started organizing silverware in a drawer, waving a butter knife around as he talked.

"We'll put an ad up in the paper or something, or on Craigslist. Can't be that hard to find a roomie without a bee allergy." They could've gotten another cramped apartment for around the same price, but Vaughn had seen the ad for their new house and couldn't believe the asking price. It was just a bit higher than their three bedroom apartment, but the neighborhood was nice and it was an actual house, not their crummy apartment. Yvette unfortunately couldn't move in with them when the lease on their last place ended due to their new neighbor's, uh, _hobby_ of beekeeping.

When they had initially driven down to inspect the house, they noticed that there was an abnormal amount of bees buzzing around. When they asked the realtor about it, she made a face (Rhys thought she looked like she had just bitten into a lemon) and explained to them that their neighbor, Mr. Lawrence, had one or two small hives in his backyard that he tended to when he was in town, which wasn't that often. He apparently paid someone else to look after them in the meantime.

The great deal on the place? Well the guy next door was a huge _dick_ to everyone when he was home, and his presence drove the property value around him down. But he paid everything on time and in full, so nothing could be done about it. The neighbors couldn't even call the local authorities because nothing this Mr. Lawrence did could be even considered disrupting the peace, he was just incredibly unpleasant.

When they got back to their apartment to tell Yvette about it, who had been unable to take the time off of work to go with them, she simply shrugged her shoulders and told them to find another roommate. She wasn't risking getting stung and have her allergy nearly kill her just for a house. Plus, if Mr. Lawrence turned out to be as much of a bother as the realtor said, she told them flat out that she was liable to stab him with a stiletto heel.

Rhys and Vaughn, having lived with Yvette for some time now, took her attitude in stride. Between the two of them, they had enough to make the down payment and pay the first month's bills, so they decided to go ahead with the move; Yvette was quick to find a suitable roommate to replace them, too.

"Besides, we got a whole month to find someone. I'm sure we'll be fine, bro." Rhys went to stand by Vaughn, reaching up past him to open the overhead cabinet to place plates and bowls in the space. Vaughn might have scowled at him, just because. Being tall was one thing, but flaunting it was another.

Not that Rhys was actively and consciously shoving his height in Vaughn's face by putting away dishes, _but still_.

"Oh, totally, bro. I mean, who wouldn't want to live with us?" Rhys could list at least four specific people off the top of his head, but kept silent, rolling his eyes at his friend. Vaughn continued on as he unpacked glasses and mugs. "I'll get that ad up online tonight, and we'll see about putting something in the local paper tomorrow."

Rhys had moved back to the kitchen island by the time Vaughn finished talking and nodded at him.

"For sure, bro. We got this."

* * *

 

They were so screwed.

They had little more than a week to find a third roommate, or else they would be scavenging for any loose change they could find in the couch or loose dollars they'd lost in the wash just to meet the next month's rent, not to mention their utilities and other basic needs.

Like food, for instance.

Rhys sighed as he slipped on his shoes by the door before walking outsider with a quick goodbye to Vaughn, heading to his little Honda in the driveway. He had maybe an extra hundred stored in the bank for groceries, while the rest of it was going towards his portion of the mortgage and bills. Vaughn didn't even have enough to pitch in for food after taking away his part of the bills, either.

Rhys sighed again, his head lolling back as he stood next to his car, eyes closed to the sun and fingers lazily gripping his keys.

They had yet to garner a decent reply to their ad, with the only applicants being a couple of really sketchy people who couldn't hold a job for more than a month or wouldn't even admit to having a job. Rhys couldn't help but complain over social media, tweeting out their troubles only to gain a string of sad-faced emojis from Yvette above an attached photo of her and her new roommate, a girl named Maya or something, making over-exaggerating frowns.

Rhys had mentally checked her off his Christmas list, though he knew he'd still end up getting her something anyway.

Fed up with the sunlight on his face, Rhys righted himself and rolled his shoulders in an effort to get some of the stiffness out of them. His right shoulder had been acting up lately, a side-effect from the robotic prosthetic he had, and was being more of a pain than usual. Still, it wouldn't stop him from trying to feed himself and Vaughn, so he unlocked his car and made to get in, only...

Something caught his attention.

A big, black, _shiny_ something. In their neighbor's drive-way, which had been vacant since they moved in nearly three weeks ago, sat a clearly expensive sports car, though Rhys couldn't tell what the make or model was.

Huh.

So the elusive Mr. Lawrence was home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! Chapter Two! I'm on a _roll_! 
> 
> Seriously though, please don't expect daily updates. 
> 
> Thanks for the feedback, though! This seems to be garnering mostly positive attention so far, so thank you!

Rhys hadn't thought much about the black car in his neighbor's drive way, or what it meant to have his neighbor around now. Though he doubted he would see much of the guy. According to the local gossip mill, Mr. Lawrence made brief appearances, long enough to leave a sour taste in your mouth, and then he was gone again. The lanky man figured all would be fine, however, and pushed the thoughts of this dickish neighbor from hell to the back of his mind. Which was why when arrived back home, arms laden with a few plastic grocery bags, Rhys couldn't help but cock an eyebrow at Vaughn when he entered the kitchen, placing the bags on the island and throwing his keys somewhere along side them. Vaughn jumped a little at the noise, but otherwise stayed where he was.

"Bro, what the hell are you doing?"

"Shh!"

"Dude, what?"

" _Rhys_ , just come here!" Vaughn waved Rhys over frantically, still not turning to look at him. Rhys took a moment to examine his friend and his... _position_. He had pulled a chair over to the kitchen counter, right in front of the sink, and had on foot on it to steady himself as he knelt over the sink to look out the window that was there. Rhys knew that the window overlooked their backyard and by extension their neighbor's, considering that their kitchen was on the far side of the house, but he still didn't know what could be interesting enough to prompt Vaughn into climbing on their sink.

He sighed and went over, leaning over the sink slightly to see past Vaughn's head. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Their backyard was empty, and there was someone in a beekeeper outfit in the back of Mr. Lawrence's yard, tending to the beehives that were just barely visible from their vantage point over the medium fence.

"So what? We've seen that before, nothing new." Rhys shrugged and went to put groceries away before a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Dude! This guy isn't wearing the whole thing, just the hat. I think it's our actual neighbor this time. The other guys always wear the whole uniform. I still can't make out his face, though..." Admittedly, Vaughn could probably see a little more over the fence since he was up on the sink, so picking up on this detail wasn't surprising, but Rhys didn't see why this was cause for alarm.

"Judging by the car in the drive way, he's probably home. I don't see why you're making such a big deal out of it." Rhys shrugged off the hand on his shoulder and started to put the food away, sending up a prayer to whomever was listening that it would last them until their next paychecks. Working for the same company allowed them to get paid at the same time, which was _something_ good in all of this.

"A car in the driveway? Bro!" Faster than he could say _what the fuck_ , Vaughn raced out of the kitchen and through the front door, and then came back as quickly as he could, looking at Rhys like his taller friend had done him some grievous harm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Rhys sputtered from his spot by the fridge, nearly dropping the new milk jug he had. "When was the last time you were outside? It's not like you could miss it!"

Vaughn threw his hands up in the air and groaned, quickly returning to his spot by the window, though he didn't climb up on the counter again, rather he stood on his tiptoes.

"I was checking the status of our ad and bumping it up the boards, plus my PS4 was calling my name. You know I prefer to gorge my eyeballs on delicious, digital figures than venture outside on my days off." Vaughn waved him off, like his video game addiction was enough of a reason to stay inside. Which, Rhys supposed, it was. Vaughn had lost too much sleep trying to defeat monsters in Bloodborne, the world didn't need to see him sleep-deprived and groaning like some zombie from a B-List horror flick.

"Why do you care so much about this guy anyway? I'm pretty sure that as long as we stay out of his way, he won't be a problem for us. Laney a few houses down told us as much last week." Rhys put the last of the food away, propping the ceral box up in the cabinet before balling up the now empty plastic bags and putting them in a bigger plastic bag in the extra storage space next to the fridge. Easy, cheap trash bags for smaller trash cans around the house. _Nice_.

"Yeah but," Vaughn started as he finally relinquished his spot by the sink, moving to put his chair back around the island. "Aren't you curious about him? He could be some really whacked out serial killer for all we know."

"Look, bro, unless he's the one signing my paycheck or getting us a new roommate, I could care less. Now come on, I feel like kicking your ass in Mario Kart." 

* * *

 

Morning meant an alarm blaring at five o'clock, and a bleary eyed Rhys slamming his hand down on the snooze button before groaning into his pillow. He was positive Vaughn was doing the same thing in his own room. With another groan into the cotton, Rhy pushed himself up, or tried to, as his arm gave out under him, causing him to dive face first back into his pillow.

It wasn't going to be a good day.

He heaved out a sigh and tried again, this time succeeding in sitting up all the way, his one arm tingling with sleep as he tried to shake it out. Rhys looked over to where his arm was docked on its charging station, then said to hell with  it. Though his prosthetic was resistant to liquids, he decided to forgo it before his shower this morning, and only reattached the mechanical limb once he was dry and after he took it from its dock. The mechanisms of the arm beeped at him, chirping in what Rhys thought was a happy tone when he successfully lined up the socket and locked it in place. It beeped again as he activated his ECHO eye to turn on his arm, and then he went through the motions of making sure everything worked correctly. His elbow joint squeaked a little, but he had lost the oil to treat it in the move and had yet to have extra cash to pay for replacement oil. It would just have to wait.

With his arm in place and everything in working order, he finished getting dressed and went through the rest of bathroom routine, then went out to the kitchen to find Vaughn already there, nursing a cup of coffee. Rhys clapped his hands together like he was praying, bowing his head to Vaughn.

"Oh _thank you_ , mighty Vaughn! For this most gracious gift of caffeine." Vaughn, in turn, squared his shoulders and huffed, turning his nose up at Rhys.

"As if I would _dare_ grace this earth without caffeine coursing through me! You insult me by insinuating that I would forget to brew it." He couldn't keep up the charade much longer, laughing at their own stupidity and clapping Rhys on the back as the taller male grabbed his own mug of coffee, sweetening it with cream and sugar.

"Seriously though, I have a feeling today won't be so great. Coffee might just be the one good thing about it."

* * *

 

On the contrary, everything was turning out fine.

The drive to work (Rhys and Vaughn carpooled in the former's car, as per usual) was nice, without much traffic, and they found a decent parking spot in the company parking structure, close enough to the elevator that they didn't have to worry about working up a sweat before they even got to building proper. Besides, their respective department managers breathed down their necks enough to work up a sweat already. They didn't need the extra perspiration. Don't just take their word for it, though. You could ask just about any employee in the building, they would all say the same thing. Working for Hyperion  _sucked_.

But the day seemed to be going well, despite Rhys' earlier twisting in his gut that told him otherwise. After he left Vaughn on the Accounting floor, Rhys went off to his own department, eager to get to his desk before his manager saw him come in. He also wanted to get a head start on new lines of code for a prototype they were preparing for the testing stages. It needed a few tweaks here and there before any of them even thought of sending it off for further tests, but Rhys was glad for the work. It meant money in his pocket and a roof over his head.

The day went by smoothly, and Rhy was able to take his lunch break without once seeing his prick of a manager. When he came back from lunch, he saw an unread email sitting in his messages, and opened it up in a new window before getting back to his coding. It was from Vaughn, with an extremely vague subject consisting of only exclamation points.

 _Well something exciting happened_ , Rhys thought, though he didn't know what could have happened in Accounting of all places that warranted that many exclamation points. Briefly, Rhys entertained the thought of Vaughn acting out that subject line, merely yelling for a minute straight.

He snorted at the thought, adding another bit of code before finally reading the email's contents. Rhys nearly choked on his own spit as he read it, with words like "ROOMMATE" and "GREAT APPLICANT" standing out the most. And yes, Vaughn had typed the entire thing in caps, but his ECHO eye was quick to change it for easier reading. One benefit of having a robotic, optical implant.

Well, there were many, but that wasn't the point here. _The point was_ , they were about to be saved. Hopefully.

_Maybe._

_If_ this Athena woman had a nice, reliable job and stable income.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said "don't expect frequent updates lmao" but like, every moment I'm plagued with ideas for future chapters and I have outline notes on everything from my phone to random notebooks so y'all are getting spoiled for now. Chapter 4 is already halfway done.
> 
> Also I hate writing dialogue.

Rhys sent off a reply to Vaughn after he was able to quell the excited trembling in his hands, typing out something simple and asking Vaughn to get back with this Athena to set up an interview with her. It'd be a nice way to get to know her and they could show her around her next potential living space, and if she liked it, then they wouldn't have to worry about barely making end's meet.

While they had jobs, Hyperion wasn't exactly known for their hefty paychecks. Or, well, they _were_ , but only if you found yourself in a position of power, like a Department Head or Manager, or a board member. Otherwise, the pay was absolute _shit_. But it was money and Rhys, despite everything, enjoyed what he did, which was write code for the Robotics Department. He could have worked for any competing company like Atlas or Dahl with his grades and experience, but it was Hyperion that caught his eye way back when as he struggled through community college before entering a four-year program, and it was there that he had his first real taste of Hyperion tech.

Seeing as he was born without his right arm ( _congenital amputation_ , as his medical records put it), he jumped at the chance to have a prosthesis fitted when Hyperion called for volunteers for their new tech. On one hand, it could have potentially given him the limb he was always missing and somehow felt a phantom pain for, and on the other, he wouldn't be losing anything by at least trying it. And it _did_ give him that missing piece of himself, which he was forever grateful for. His adoration for Hyperion and the work they did only grew once the operation proved successful, and when Hyperion contacted him again a few years later for a trial for companion tech to his arm, he signed up right away, not even blinking twice before signing the agreement to test out the ECHO eye.

But that was then, and this was now.

And Hyperion still paid their lower-level lackeys shit. Rhys and Vaughn _needed_ the extra income from a roommate.

After he hit send on his reply, he went back to his code, working out the minute details on his portion of the programming before sending to the the next person in line for them to go over with a fine-toothed comb. The prototype had to be as close to perfection as possible to cut down on time for the project, which would make their Department head and by extension their CEO all the more pleased with their work.

What was that term? Happy wife, happy life?

Well, if all of Hyperion considered _Handsome Jack_ as their wife, then yes, their lives would be much improved if he was happy. And if he wasn't, then...

Rhys had heard rumors about what happened to the last Head of Finances. All speculation and no exact truths, of course, but nonetheless everyone knew to try to stay on Handsome Jack's good side. It was better for their health in the long run. Which, funnily enough, was printed on some Hyperion made motivational posters. Literally.

 _"Staying on Handsome Jack's Nice List will keep you in Good Health!"_ above a picture of a grinning Handsome Jack, his hand forming the peace sign as his visage stared down employees from wherever it was posted. Like their CEO was Santa Claus or something, only the people on his Naughty List got something much worse than coal in their stockings.

According to the office gossip, that list had been getting pretty long lately, since various reports across the company stated Jack was making rounds in the departments, personally checking up on the progress they did or did not make. People were getting antsy, never knowing when and where their CEO would pop out of the woodwork to scare the ever living shit out of them.

 _C'est la vie_ , Rhys supposed, then opened up another project and cracked his knuckles, getting ready to do what he did best.

* * *

 

Vaughn had sent him a message via his ECHO communicator later that day as Rhys was getting ready to clock out, telling him that he had to stay later than usual to help his department clear up some mishap before Jack caught wind of it, and told Rhys that he'd find another way home. Rhys, being the _awesome_ friend that he was, almost offered to wait for him in the lounge area downstairs when Vaughn sent him another message.

_"Seriously bro just go home. This is gonna take all nite to fix."_

Rhys tapped out a short and simple _"ok"_ and pocketed his ECHO, trusting Vaughn to call him and let him know if he did end up needing a ride home later, and walked to the elevator. As he waited for it to come down, he pulled out his ECHO again and scrolled through some of his apps, before growing bored of that and checking his email again. Vasquez, his Department Manager and Supreme Dicklord, had sent out a floor-wide email informing them of the prototype's status, so Rhys occupied himself with reading that as he stepped into the elevator, not even looking up to push the button for the basement where'd he get off to reach the parking structure.

He was so engrossed in the email, mentally scoffing at Vasquez's word choice, that he barely noticed when the elevator stopped again to let someone else on a few floors down.The new person slid in and went to push the basement button even though it was already lit up, and continued to talk on his ECHO device. Rhys noticed the man's shoes out of the corner of his eye, sparing little more than a raised eyebrow at his choice of footwear.

Sneakers. Converse sneakers, faded black and with the white rubber scuffed up from wear and tear. How unprofessional. Had their CEO been in the elevator to see that, he might have fired the guy on the spot for such decorum.

Rhys went back to his email, clicking out of it with a frustrated huff, and opened one Vaughn had forwarded him from Athena some time after he sent his first over excited message. His elevator buddy kept talking, his voice growing louder and more pissed off as time ticked by, like he was two steps from reaching through the phone to strangle whomever was on the other side.

Wait.

"No see, you're _not_ understanding what I'm saying, fuckwit. If that model isn't together, fault-free, in _excellent_ working condition and ready to ship to our buyers by the time I get to my office tomorrow morning, _you're_ the one who's going to be shipped out in a wooden crate instead, got it?"

Oh god.

"Deadlines are set for a _reason,_ Jacobs, and it's gonna be _you_ facing the firing squad if we don't meet this one. Figuratively, of course," Phone guy side-eyed Rhys, who had gone still as he put together the man's voice, tone, and general air of authority together. Rhys kept his head down, eyes on the screen of his ECHO, so he didn't notice the glance. "But you'll be the one answering to our buyers when their _very expensive_ purchase isn't ready."

When that call ended, he phoned someone else, apparently making arrangements for various reports to be delivered to his secretary when he was out of his office tomorrow.

"Listen, babe, make this easy for me, yeah? I just had a shit conversation with some dumbfuck and I really don't need another one. I'll be down in Robotics tomorrow after Jacobs delivers the good news, so unless someone shows up _bleeding_ all over my office and making a _goddamn_ mess, don't bother me with trivial shit like paperwork."

A quiet beep signaled the end of the conversation as _Handsome Fucking Jack_ clicked the end call button and stuffed his ECHO into his pants' pocket. Rhys didn't move a muscle and kept his eyes glued to his own ECHO, reading and re-reading the lines of Athena's reply to their ad but not really comprehending what any of it said. After what felt like forever, the elevator came to a stop with a chime as its doors slid open. Handsome Jack stepped out first, and it was only after he was a good distance away from the elevator did Rhys even think about breathing.

Once he remembered how to work his lungs, Rhys stepped out on shaky legs and made his way to his car, unlocking it and slipping inside. With one hand on the keys in the ignition and the other barely grasping his seat belt to fasten it, Rhys could only think that the rumor of their CEO climbing through the departments to check on work wasn't just a rumor.

Handsome Jack was indeed checking up on his little worker bees, and Rhys was next in line for inspection.

* * *

 

By the time Rhys was able to get through traffic and arrive home, it was close to seven and he was _starving_ , so he took out a frozen pizza and popped it in the oven before heading to his room to change into comfier clothes, which included a faded black Hyperion company tee and board shorts. He kept his nifty striped socks on, though, and disengaged his arm to set it up on its charging dock for the night.

The sound of their doorbell ringing changed his planned course to the kitchen to the front door instead, where he opened it after just peeking through the peephole in the wood. In front of him, illuminated by the slightly orange light of their porch light, was a girl. She looked to be in her teens, if Rhys could take a guess, with black hair that was shaved on one side and big, blue eyes staring up at him. She was cradling a jar of what looked like honey in her hands, with a yellow, polka-dot ribbon tied around the neck of the mason jar.

"Uh,"

Eloquent, Rhys. Real smooth.

"Sorry for coming by so late! It's just that when I got back from school and came over earlier, no one was home, and well, I saw your lights come on." Rhys blinked down at her, confusion still evident in his expression. She must have noticed this, since she blushed a little at her behavior and laughed quietly, holding the jar in one hand as she held out the other for Rhys to take.

"Sorry, I'm Angel, by the way! I live next door with my dad. Sometimes, anyway. I'm usually out when he is, but-" Belatedly, Angel noticed that Rhys was unable to shake her hand, as she had offered her right one and Rhys was missing his at the moment. He had lifted his left in turn, offering her an awkward smile.

"Oh gosh, I didn't- _I'm so sorry_ , I didn't know-" She quickly switched the jar to her other hand and took Rhys' left in hers, giving it a firm squeeze before dropping it. She mumbled another apology and looked up at him, expectantly.

"It's fine, ah, Angel, right?" At her nod, Rhys smiled again. Less awkward this time. "I'm Rhys, and yeah I just moved in with my buddy Vaughn. He's still out, though."

"Tell him I said hi and welcome to the neighborhood!" Angel gave him a wide grin and held out the jar to him. "Here, homemade honey from my dad's beehives. He bottles so much of the stuff that I've kinda started, giving it out? As apologies for his behavior..."

Beehives? Like, Mr. Lawrence's beehives?

"Wait, _Mr. Lawrence_ is your dad? The local terror of the neighborhood?" Rhys could have kicked himself as he realized he just insulted the guy in front of his daughter, but her bubbling laughter stopped him from saying any more.

"He'd flip if he heard you call him that, but yeah." She laughed again, covering her smile with her hand. "He hasn't bothered you yet, has he?"

"Ah," Rhys lifted his hands to scratch at the back of his neck. "Actually, he's only been home for like, a day or two since we moved in. Or, you two have only been home that long, and you're the first person we've actually seen from that house so far."

"Oh, good. Usually by this time, I'm doing damage control, not preventive measures. Just, watch out, okay? Work has given him a short fuse, but I promise, he's not that bad once you get to know him. Anyway," She handed the jar of honey to Rhys and took a step back, giving him a mock salute. "It was nice meeting you, Rhys, but I should get back inside. Remember to tell your friend I said hi!"

With a final wave, she jumped down the porch steps and walked across their lawns to reach her own front door, and Rhys called out a goodbye and goodnight as she went. Distantly, he heard the timer on the oven go off, and went back to the kitchen to take out his dinner. Rhys put the honey on the counter next to the sugar jar by their coffee pot, eyeing the golden substance with a soft smile.

If Mr. Lawrence's daughter was that nice, he couldn't be so bad, could he?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for such sweet comments! They really make my day ^o^ I probably won't reply to each one anymore, but know that I read every single one with a grin on my face!
> 
> This is also the longest chapter yet!

Vaughn returned home looking like he had just gotten run over, shoulders slumped and glasses askew, dragging his feet through the door before he finally shut and leaned against it. Rhys looked at him from his spot on the couch, empty, pizza-grease stained paper plate on his lap and a straw dangling from his lips from his glass of soda.

"Bro-"

" _Don't._ "

"You look _really_ shitty-"

Vaughn let out a strangled cry and fell to his knees dramatically, missing Rhys' heavy eye roll at the gesture, and slapped the hardwood floors with his hands. He realized his mistake a second later and Rhys heard him hiss in pain, the sound slightly muffled by the floor where his head was bowed.

"Soooo..."

Vaughn groaned again, forehead pressed against the flooring.

"Wanna talk about it?" An answering moan told Rhys that the answer was probably no, so he got up from the couch and went back into the kitchen, grabbing two more slices of pizza and putting them on his used plate. They were a bit cold by now, so Rhys popped them in the microwave for about a minute (Vaughn wasn't going anywhere anytime soon). After the microwave dinged, Rhys took the pizza and placed it on the floor next to Vaughn.

"Want some pizza?" Vaughn lifted his head enough to see where the plate was and grabbed for it, then slowly got to a sitting position on the floor, Rhys mirroring his action and sitting across from him. His friend started stuffing the pizza in his mouth, uncaring of the heat, and nearly started sobbing.

"You're an angel, Rhys."

"I try." Rhys dodged a bit of chewed pizza that came spewing from Vaughn's mouth, eyeing the glob of food on the floor with disgust. Fuckin' Christ. "Speaking of angels, I met one."

A mumbled _that's nice_ came from Vaughn, who was too focused on the food to really pay attention to Rhys. Who could blame him? The entire Accounting department went through hell and back just to find out where a _very_ large amount of money went, and several employees got fired in the process. Normal day for Hyperion, but extremely stressful and agonizing nonetheless.

"I mean one lives next door, not literally, but her name _is_ Angel and she's the daughter of our local beekeeper-slash-horrible neighbor." The only response Rhys got was a grateful moan around a mouthful of pizza. He scowled and poked Vaughn's stomach, hard enough to make the guy cough.

"Mr. Lawrence, your latest obsession, has a teenage daughter. I thought this would be valuable information for your _Who Is Mr. Lawrence?_ puzzle."

"Oh, it is." Vaughn thankfully swallowed his food this time before speaking. "But I'm much too tired to care. Someone stole like, a million bucks from Hyperion last week and the company is just now noticing it."

Rhys squinted at him, not quite believing what he was hearing, but then again Hyperion was filled with cutthroat assholes who'd do anything to get a leg up, so he supposed it wasn't too far fetched.

"Did you find out who did it?"

"Of course," Vaughn answered, as if the possibility of them not finding the thief was even well, possible. "And the people who helped him out, a couple of moles in my own department. They're gonna wanna be out of town before the full report reaches Handsome Jack tonight. So what about this girl? Don't tell me you're crushin' on some teenager, Rhys, you dirty old man."

"What?! No!" Rhys held up his one arm in defense, looking scandalized that Vaughn would even suggest such a thing. "She's like, fifteen! And yeah she was cute but like, in a little sister way, so _no._ "

"Okay well, good. What'd you do though, go knocking on their door to borrow a cup of sugar?"

"Actually, she's the one who knocked on our door. She gave me a jar of honey as, and I quote, a preventive measure to make sure we didn't take her dad's shitty demeanor personally. She seems really sweet. Told me to tell you hi and everything."

"Maybe," Vaughn stopped to swallow a particularly thick wad of food. "Maybe she gets it from her mom? Oh, do we have a hot mom living next door too or is Mr. Lawrence living the single dad life?"

"I-" The taller of the two squinted at his smaller companion, then shook his head. "I don't know, and frankly it's none of our business."

Vaughn finished off his pizza and eyed the glob of food he launched at Rhys, making a face before he pinched it up and put it on his plate, wiping his fingers on his pants. He got himself off the floor, Rhys following him up, and threw his plate away before shrugging.

"Right, right. Oh, before I pass out and forget my work day happened at all, I got a hold of Athena again, our applicant? I was able to schedule some meet up with her, but she's only free tomorrow, like, in the evening. That cool, bro?" Rhys thought about it for a moment, tapping his chin with his hand. As long as it was after they were both out of work, it should be fine. And if traffic was forgiving tomorrow, then they'd have time to come home and cook up dinner or something before she got there. It'd be a nice gesture on their part.

"Yeah, I don't see why not. Why don't you get a hold of her again and tell her we'll have dinner waiting."

"You're cooking?" Rhys nodded, smiling.

"Oh _hell_ yeah!" It was a well kept secret that Rhys was amazing in the kitchen, as in, only Rhys, Vaughn, and Yvette knew from their previous time of living together. He didn't cook that often since Vaughn was trying to do it more and more, but when he did, it was like cause for celebration.

"I won't do too much though, just keeping it simple."

"No, no, yeah that's totally cool. She's gonna love you, bro."

"Let's hope she loves the place too, or we're back at square one."

* * *

 

The clack of plastic keys filled the Robotics floor, where not even the slightest buzz of murmured conversation could be heard even though it was commonplace for the programmers to spark something akin to friendly talk between them. But they all felt the stress weighing on them, the horrible anticipation and dread forming clouds over their heads as they worked.

Matthews in cubicle fourteen even had beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, and Handsome Jack _wasn't even there yet_.

Of course, they'd all woken up that morning to a mass email from Jack's secretary informing them that the CEO would be sweeping through their floor that day, and honestly it was worse than not knowing if he was coming or not. Now, they all had the pleasure of being paranoid, never knowing when exactly he'd pop up, but knowing that he _was_ going to be there.

Rhys, of course, had the unfortunate privilege of knowing beforehand that this was going to happen, but it did very little in helping to calm his nerves.

As it stood, he tried to distract himself with code and when that was finished, typing up reports, some of which weren't due for another week. His keystrokes just added to noise on the floor, the repetitive _clack clack clack_ becoming the mantra of the entire department. Even Vasquez was quiet today, probably trying to avoid drawing attention to himself in an unusual display of self-preservation. Rhys kinda wished he had the power to make Vasquez complacent with just the news of his impending arrival like Jack did.

That'd be _sick as fuck_.

But he was getting nothing done thinking about that, and his reports were just blank word documents, staring at him from the screen. Rhys scowled at them as if they had been judging his lack of progress, and then sighed. Yeah, absolutely nothing was getting done this way. He needed coffee or food or _both_. But mostly he just really needed this day to be over.

Rhys stood and stretched his arms over his head, sighing loudly at the pop and crack his bones made. He spotted a few of his fellow code monkeys eyeing him as he stood, and even heard a gasp or two at his audacity to move _now_ , when Jack could show up at _any minute_. He ignored them and trekked to the small employee lounge, happy to see that the coffee maker was still on and half-way full. After mixing together his coffee, he left the lounge and went back to his desk, eyes sweeping over the floor trying to see if Jack appeared while he was away, and, satisfied with not seeing him yet, sat back down in his swivel office chair.

Rhys sipped at his coffee periodically, his left hand flying over the keys with ease once he had something to wake him up and make him alert. Knowing what to type up wasn't hard, since he knew what would be considered useful, but he soon found himself drifting from that. A pad of paper caught his eye, a few ideas messily scrawled recently at the top of the page but it was otherwise blank. Rhys kept the pad close by in case he thought of something while writing code and didn't want to open a new word document just for passing ideas, and the thought of grabbing it right now was tempting. His code work was done, and he had plenty of time before his report was due.

What the hell, why not? He had some ideas for future prototypes anyway, and even though Vasquez would probably never take them or pass them on to higher ups, it'd be nice to get them written down.

Rhys started looking for a pen, checking everywhere on his desk and in his drawers while the elevator dinged softly, announcing the arrival of someone.  _If it was Handsome Jack, then yay,_ Rhys thought sarcastically, _the rest of the floor could get their head out of their anxiety-riddled asses and do some work._

Not that he was doing much better, with his hand trembling as he searched for a damn pen, but still.

It was indeed Jack who exited the elevator, making his presence known with loud clapping and a louder voice reverberating across the floor.

"What is up, Robotics?" The question was drawn out, like he was talking to a stadium filled with fans and trying to get them amped up. No one answered him save for a few quiet _Hello, sirs._

"Oh you guys can do better than that. No, you know what? Screw it. You're all fucking lame anyway. Get back to work, kids! Daddy's here to see if you deserve a gold star so show me something that'll make me smile!"

Rhys thought he heard someone cough next to him, followed by the resuming of clacking keys. He chanced a glance around the wall of his cubicle, rolling his chair out until he could peek around the corner. Handsome Jack was just down the way, leaning into someone else's space as they typed away. Rhys could see her, he thought her name was Janett or something, flinch every time Jack made a humming noise.

He still hadn't found his pen, but as he moved to roll back to his desk, he saw the glint of a metal clip on a pen under it, far back by the wall hidden by wires from his computer. Rhys heaved a sigh and got up from his chair, pushing it back far enough so that he'd have room to crawl under there and grab it. How the hell did it even fall back there?

Rhys reached for it was his metal arm, the other one braced against the floor to balance him. He knew he made a ridiculous picture at the moment, on his knees with his ass in the air, one arm frantically reaching for a stupid pen. It was tangled in the wires pretty good, so when Jack happened to walk by his cubicle, Rhys was still unfortunately in the same position, only now he was using both hands to untangle the pen. He got it free with a triumphant grin right before Handsome Jack let loose a dirty wolf whistle.

The cybernetic man cursed quietly and jumped, and when he tried to scramble out from underneath his desk, he knocked his head on the underside of it. Rhys hissed in pain, but was otherwise too panicked to really sit there and nurse his wounds, so he climbed up to his full height with his back still turned to Jack, who in turn hummed appreciatively.

"Ooohh, _nice legs_ , pumpkin." Okay, he knew his chosen slacks were a little tight, but- Wait, wait, that was _Jack_. Rhys spun around, face flushed.

"H-Handsome Jack! I mean, _sir_ , I mean- What uh, what can I do for you, sir?" The department had gone silent, trying to get a peek at them. Somewhere, someone spilled their coffee over their keyboard and loudly cursed. Rhys could see the corner of Jack's eye twitch in annoyance at the outburst, but he preoccupied himself with giving Rhys another once-over before crossing his arms, shrugging, and leaning against the wall of Rhys' cubicle.

"Hm, nothin'." He looked bored, disinterested mostly, but his eyes were shining with some shitty mischievous glee. Rhys was completely confused, standing as still as possible, not wanting to trip Jack's mood into something more volatile by so much as breathing the wrong way.

"What's your name, kiddo?" Rhys almost dropped his pen, knowing that when Handsome Jack asked for specific names he's either planning that employee's death or... Well he never heard of anything good come out of these types of situations.

He answered anyway.

"It's Rhys, sir." Jack smirked at him, more of a barely there twitch at the corner of his mouth than an actual smirk. He turned to leave, but not before winking at Rhys and saying,

"Get back to work, sugarplum."

Rhys barely gathered his thoughts in time to mumble out a confused and slightly terrified _"Yes sir"_ before Jack completely left his area to move on to terrify somebody else. It took some time before Rhys realized he was still standing, and even longer after he finally sat down to realize he'd been staring at his screen for the last five minutes without moving, the cursor blinking at him from the open word document. He didn't feel like jotting down prototype ideas anymore.

* * *

Three people left the Robotics department with their things in a box that day, and Rhys wasn't one of them. Despite Jack asking for his name, the CEO didn't bother him after his initial appearance, and Rhys wasn't sure how he should take that. However, the rest of the day went as well as it could have, and Rhys and Vaughn were able to leave together and make it home with time to spare before Athena got there.

Rhys had decided on something simple for dinner, a chicken pasta, and Vaughn helped him with the small things like chopping tomatoes or stripping sprigs of rosemary. By the time a knock sounded at their door, the house was filled with the aroma of Rhys' pasta, filling the air with notes of garlic and rosemary, and the sweet tang of balsamic vinegar.

Vaughn answered the door while Rhys transferred the pasta to a serving dish, talking animatedly with who Rhys supposed would be Athena. Both voices floated through the living and to the kitchen, and all that Rhys could gather was that Athena was quiet, but her tone was firm, like she had total confidence in what she was saying.

Rhys snorted. It'd be nice to have someone like that in the house.

Vaughn and Athena got louder as they neared the kitchen just as Rhys pulled down plates and set them on the kitchen island next to the pasta, his hand then reaching for the silverware drawer to pull out three forks.

"And this is Rhys!" Vaughn gestured to him with a wave of his hand, Athena following his line of sight until Rhys fell into her vision. Rhys, in turn, gave Athena a small wave of his own before he stepped up to offer her a hand to shake. His prosthetic still had enough a charge to last through dinner at least, so there wasn't any awkward fumbling as to which hand Athena should take.

"It's very nice to meet you. We've been excited about this, you know?" Rhys pulled away to scratch his chin, smiling sheepishly. Athena returned the smile with a small one of her own.

"I have to admit, when I answered the ad, I didn't expect to be wined and dined before a decision was made. Dinner seems more like," Athena glanced at the steaming pasta on the island, eyes flickering from it to Vaughn, who had taken a seat on one of the bar stools. "A celebratory event after everything's been settled."

Vaughn and Rhys shrugged, almost in unison, and it was Vaughn who spoke up after pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "We'd thought it be a nice gesture either way, as like, a thank you for even giving the place a chance."

Rhys nodded in agreement before taking his own seat, distributing the plates among the three of them along with the silverware. Glasses of ice water had been set out too.

"But let's talk about that after dinner. We can just get to know one another for now and we'll show you around after we eat. Is that okay?" Rhys shifted in his seat when Athena turned her eyes to him. It was a little unnerving to say the least. She had a very serious gaze, made all the more solemn by the seemingly nature downward turn of her mouth. She gave him a small smile, though, and a hum in agreement.

* * *

Dinner went off without a hitch, the three of them sharing stories until their plates were empty and even well after that. They found out that Athena was looking to move further into the city to be closer to work, and that she'd be able to see her girlfriend Janey (no relation to Laney down the way) more often by doing so too. Neither man asked why she didn't move in with her girlfriend, as they still didn't know each other well enough to ask things like that. They also found that Athena worked as a bodyguard of all things, with most of her work keeping her in the heart of the city, making sure certain people were kept out of harm's way.

Neither Rhys or Vaughn thought that there were many threats in the area that required a bodyguard, but after hearing a few of Athena's stories, they shared a worried glance. They'd be watching rooftops from now on, trying to catch a glimpse of a glare off of a scope.

When every plate was clean and the leftovers boxed up, Rhys and Vaughn showed her around the house, starting with the basics and finally ending with her would-be room. It was a decent size and had a window that faced the backyard, where Rhys had thought about planting a vegetable garden come spring. There were two bathrooms in the house and while Rhys and Vaughn shared one, Athena would have the other to herself if she moved in.

Before any decisions could be made, Rhys remembered that he had a store-bought cheesecake in the fridge. A plain one, made to accommodate any topping a person liked. He thought that this would be a nice, final offering even if things didn't go as well as they hoped, and left Vaughn and Athena in the living room as he went to prepare.

Only problem was, he didn't have anything to top it with.

Rhys groaned loudly, hanging his head back after putting the cheesecake on the island. Vaughn came in then, followed by Athena.

"Got a problem, bro?" Rhys groaned again before answering.

"I forgot to pick up some strawberry topping. Even raspberry would've been nice. Sorry, guys." Vaughn shrugged and got out paper plates anyway and three more forks along with a knife to cut the cake. It'd be a bit dry, but still edible.

"What about that?" Athena asked, pointing with her thumb at the jar of honey on the counter.

"What about what- Oh, that? I guess we could use it." Rhys nodded and grabbed the honey and a spoon, putting them both on the island next to the cheesecake. "Still haven't tried this."

Vaughn gave the first slice to Athena, then served Rhys before serving himself. Athena helped herself to the honey, covering the slice of cheesecake in a generous amount of the thick substance before handing it over to the boys. They tried to ignore the extremely satisfied moan from Athena at the taste of the honey.

"Where'd you get this?" Fortunately, Athena did not have Vaughn's frankly _disgusting_ habit of talking while his mouth was full, so everyone was spared the pain of dodging flying chunks of sweetness.

"Our neighbor bottles his own honey, I guess. His daughter brought it over as welcome gift."

"Yeah, okay," Athena took another bite, this time without making noise, and addressed them again once her mouth was empty. "If your neighbor makes honey this good, I'm in." Athena _really_ liked honey. She wasn't going to tell them why, or even exactly how much she liked it, but she did. They'd have to find out on their own down the line. She'd tell them, but it was embarrassing. She blamed Janey entirely.

Rhys and Vaughn were both halfway through their own slices before they realized what she had said. Vaughn went into a coughing fit out of surprise, and Rhys downed a his water before he was able to answer. Athena looked mighty pleased at having caught them off guard. Rhys finally got back in working order, looking at Athena in shock.

"Wait, what?"

"First month's rent required before I move in, right? Yeah I'll bring a cheque over tomorrow, have my stuff in by this weekend. That sound okay?" Instead of actual verbal confirmation, Vaughn gave a hoot and broke out the beer from the fridge, passing a bottle to everyone and passing around a bottle opener. They cheered, celebrating good food, roommates, and not having to scrape by every month. It was hard not to share Vaughn's enthusiasm, and soon the three of them were laughing in the kitchen, the flow of their conversation easier now. It was a good feeling.

When it came time for Athena to leave for the night, Rhys walked her out and said goodbye, telling her that he'd have new keys made for her by the time she was ready to move in. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Mr. Lawrence's car was gone from the driveway, and that there wasn't a single light on in the house.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me constantly, after reading your comments: "#blessed"

The rest of the week passed by like a blur, with snippets of conversation floating over the departments, each one describing Jack's visit to each floor as it happened. More people were fired and just as quickly as they were gone, someone new was there to fill the space. Each of the new employees had that freshness to them, all giddy smiles and excitement from being able to work at the Hyperion Corporation, home of the latest innovations in weaponry and robotics.

Rhys gave them a week before their spirits were broken.

He gave the new interns in Vaughn's department three days.

Athena moved in that weekend with the help of her new roommates, who had each begged off of work to do so. Now that she was with them, they could each afford a few extra vacation days without worrying about having enough cash to last the month. Already, they felt the stress of bill-paying leave their shoulders, and they never wasted a second to tell Athena how grateful they were to have her there.

Athena, for what it was worth, handled it all with grace and a sly smile playing on her lips. They were already growing on her, despite their rather dweeb-ish ways, and Janey was always eager for more stories of her girlfriend's new roommates. She came over to meet them too, and Vaughn roped her into the mystery of their neighbor, who was once again out of town. So far, their theories on who Mr. Lawrence could be ranged from the President of the United States to a hermit who lived in seclusion with his daughter to hide from aliens.

Yeah, so Rhys wasn't giving them alcohol anymore.

Yvette and Maya came over once too before the weekend ended, along with Fiona and Sasha. It was their idea of a supreme house warming party now that Rhys and Vaughn found someone to help them, and the sisters took care of most of the planning while Yvette roped Maya into helping her with food. August dropped by for an hour or so, most likely forced into making an appearance by Sasha.

It was a good party all in all, and they kept the noise level to an acceptable amount, even when Maya and Athena proved to be bitter rivals in Mario Kart. The living room was quickly filled with expletives flying between the two, while everyone else was barely holding back peals of laughter.

Wine may have been spilled on the couch, and Rhys may have snorted while he laughed, much to the amusement of Janey, who insisted on capturing the snort-laugh on her phone when it happened again.

By Monday, the house was thoroughly broken in by its residents and friends alike.

* * *

The morning commute at the start of the week was always hell, so Rhys and Vaughn got up extra early to beat the morning rush. Athena was still sleeping by the time they left, not expected to report for work until whoever she was guarding that week decided they needed to go out in public.

They were able to successfully avoid the early morning rush hour and arrived at Hyperion with plenty of time to spare, so they hung out in the lounge on the ground floor, which was decorated more than any other lounge in the building aside from the executive ones. It was meant to be pretty and tasteful to guests, to give them a good first impression of the company.

After seeing it for five years though, Rhys was tired of all the damn yellow.

It was one of their company colors, changed from the old red and black after Handsome Jack took over the company from Tassiter, and that meant that it was everywhere. Not so much that it blinded people with the sheer amount of it, but enough to make sure nobody questioned what their signature color was. It lined the desks, the coffee tables, the trim of the walls. There were hexagons everywhere, too, even on certain Hyperion-issued uniforms.

All the interior design was done tastefully, Rhys had to admit, even if the color and honeycomb details were seared into his eyeballs.

Oh, right. Honey. Rhys made a note on his ECHO to thank Angel for the gift properly next time he saw her. It was a huge hit at the get-together they had over the weekend, even though Rhys didn't have cheesecake to put it on. They made toast instead, and Vaughn invited people to dip into his tea collection if they wanted some. It worked and it was a nice to get everyone calm after the last game of Mario Kart devolved into Yvette threatening to shave Maya's head as she slept.

But back to the lounge, where Rhys and Vaughn were able to talk over coffee and snacks from the vending machine before they had to report to their respective departments. Their conversation was more along the lines of apologies and Vaughn making Rhys promise to never let him drink that much again, but it was conversation nonetheless. It was interrupted with a beep from Rhys' ECHO device just as they went to throw their styrofoam cups away.

"What's it say, bro?" He tried to lean over to get a peek at the screen, but that was solved when Rhys shoved it in his face.

"Read that and punch me in the face so I know it's real and not a dream." Rhys  _really_  wanted to wake up after being punched in the face. There was no way he was surviving this if it was real.

"Okay, ummm," Vaughn adjusted his glasses and took Rhys' ECHO, reading over the short message a few times to himself before he read it out loud, his voice shaking as he did so.

"Holy shit, Rhys-  _Handsome Jack would like to see you in his office first thing in the morning, no later than eight o'clock_ ," He read, eyes flicking up to Rhys who was biting his nails.  _"Failure to appear means automatic dismissal from Hyperion. Signed, Stacey M., Secretary to Handsome Jack._  Bro, what happened last week?"

"I don't know. Punch me in the face, Vaughn, please."

"No, I'm not punching you. Dude." Vaughn handed back his ECHO, which Rhys took with a quick swipe of his hand to reread the message, hoping the words would magically rearrange themselves to something that wasn't a death sentence. They stayed the same of course, taunting him from the screen in their neat, Times New Roman font.

"Bro, I  _know_."

"If you die, I get your stuff, right?"

"That is  _so_  not funny, Vaughn-" Rhys looked at the time on his ECHO, his stomach dropping not even seconds later.

"It's ten till' eight! I gotta go buddy, uh, if I don't come back, just like, let my family know I love them okay? And get Athena to rope Janey into moving in to pay my part of the bills, and plant that vegetable garden I wanted in memory of me, and-" Vaughn put his hands on Rhys' shoulders and pulled his friend down, closer to his eye level to talk to him. He squeezed Rhys' shoulders as the taller man gulped heavily.

"Bro, just go. I'll make your eulogy real nice."

"Thanks, bro. You're the best." Rhys didn't wait for another response as he sprinted off in the direction of the elevators, jamming the call button with his thumb until it finally chimed and opened its doors with a quiet hiss. There was no one else inside, so Rhys pressed the only button marked with a huge, glowing H and the button to close the doors at the same time, hoping the little trick worked. It was something he learned back when he started at Hyperion. If you pressed the buttons for the floor and doors at the same time and held them there, the elevator would take you to your desired floor without stopping for other passengers. It worked in the past, so Rhys hoped it would work right now, too.

He panicked when the elevator slowed to a stop just three floors below Jack's, but the doors didn't open and it resumed its actions, stopping at the top floor with a soft chime. Rhys finally let the buttons go and rearranged his clothes as the doors opened, running a hand through his hair as he stepped out and walked to the secretary's desk.

"Can I help you?" Stacey, apparently, looked at him from her desk, somehow making it seem like she was looking  _down_  at him even though he had the height advantage. Her voice implied that she had much better things to do than speak to likes of him.

"Uh, yeah. I was told that Handsome Jack wanted to see me? I'm uh, Rhys, from Robotics on floor twelve." Rhys nervously adjusted his clothing again as Stacey examined him, her eyes narrowing at him like she didn't buy it. Then, the soft crackle of static came on over her intercom on the desk, followed by Jack's voice.

"Hey babe, is that kid here yet? You know, the really tall lanky one with the arm." Stacey glared at Rhys, then shot a pointed look at his arm, as if she was confirming that it was in fact a prosthetic and not some imitation. Apparently satisfied with what she saw, Stacey huffed before answering Jack.

"Yes sir, he just arrived. Shall I send him in?" Rhys can't help but notice that her voice seemed to be coated in sugar as she spoke to the CEO.

"No  _shit_ , princess."

Stacey waved Rhys in with a scowl before looking back to her computer screen, acrylic nails typing away at the keyboard. It was a wonder they didn't snap off with how hard she was typing.

Rhys entered the CEO's office, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click. The sound seemed to echo off the walls as if the room was a deep cavern, and Rhys never felt so small in his life. He actually had to put effort into keeping his teeth from chattering, and to keep his eyes trained on Jack's face. There was nothing worse than disrespecting your CEO by refusing to make eye contact with him.

"So, Riley? Randy, was it?" Jack wasn't looking at him yet as he stood in front of his desk, leaning against it with one hand braced against the dark wood and another holding what appeared to be files. They were Rhys' employee files and records, though he didn't know that yet.

"It's...Rhy-"

"Rhysie! Right, anyway, do you know what we do here at Hyperion?" Jack looked up at him and Rhys contained his gasp at having the CEO's full attention. His mismatched eyes seemed to bore into him.

That was a trick question, right? Why would anyone work at Hyperion if they didn't even know what the company did? Jack was clearly expecting an answer though, if his expression was anything to go by. And it was, especially with it getting steady more pissed the longer Rhys took to answer. The programmer cleared his throat before answering, his hands sweeping down his shirt in a display of nervous fidgeting.

"We're a weapons and robotics manufacturing company, sir. We design, build, and sell the latest in technology, including other products such as cellular devices." If Rhys was surprised by how even his voice came out, he didn't show it.

"Good, except you got one thing wrong, pumpkin. We're  _the_  biggest company to haul out those products, and the most successful. I need the best of the best when it comes to what we make here, which is why I'm wondering what the hell you're doin' here-"

Oh god. Here it came. Rhys was going to be fired. He was doing shit work. He probably wrote faulty code that ended up in a final product and caused someone to lose a limb or three. Holy  _fuck_ , okay. Breathe, Rhys, breathe. That's it, in and out.

"Stuck as some code monkey when you should be somewhere else."

Wait, stuck?

"Like, let's say, Head of Robotics." Whoa hold up. Back that up, put it in reverse, park it. What did Jack just say?

"Judging by your expression, you're trying to figure out which is a more appropriate way of thanking me: getting on your knees and suckin' my dick or giving me some gold tributes, like one of those ancient gods or some shit. I'll accept either one."

Jack continued after it was clear that Rhys was too shell-shocked to even blush at the implication of sucking Jack's cock, spreading his arms wide while his mouth split into an even wider grin.

"See, kiddo, the thing is, your current department head? He's like, way under qualified for the job. I don't even know how he got it. Plus he has hair extensions. I don't trust anyone who uses good, Hyperion given money for fuckin' hair extensions.

"You, on the other hand. Well shit,  _your_  other hand is Hyperion made! And you got the ECHO eye, which could use an upgrade, no offense, and a neural port right there on your noggin'. You're practically a walking Hyperion poster boy already. What's even more is that once code passes through you, the rest of the department doesn't even need to look at it because it's already fuckin' perfect."

At some point during Jack's spiel, he had walked up to the man while Rhys' mind left him completely and slung an arm over his shoulder, pulling him close and dragging Rhys over to the gigantic window in his office. It overlooked the entire city and Rhys vaguely registered seeing cars down below on the street.

"What I'm saying, buttercup, is that Wallet Head is already packing his shit and you got a promotion. Hooray, hurrah,  _oh thank you Jack, you're the best I can't believe this! Oh my god, I could kiss you, you handsome sonovabitch!_ " Jack's voice rose a few octaves at that last part, making a poor imitation of Rhys' own voice. Rhys, for all the cognitive strength he apparently had, could only question the use of  _wallet head_. Jack noticed his employee's complete lack of well, anything, and snapped his fingers in Rhys' face.

"You in there, kiddo? Come on, I'm offering you a prime seat. Real nice real estate in the company, a chance to get a leg in the door and your voice heard."

Rhys looked at him, his own mismatched eyes blinking owlishly at Jack, who scowled.

"Alright, I get it. Offer's going once, twice-"

"Punch me."

"I don't usually do that without a safeword." Jack grinned wolfishly at him, even going as far to lick his lips. Rhys didn't notice or if he did, he didn't care.

"Hit me or pinch me or  _something_ , please, this is like-" Jack rolled his eyes and drew back his hand, delivering a hard, open palm slap to Rhys' cheek.

The sound bounced around the office and Rhys was sure Stacey heard it even outside the room, but it served to prove to Rhys that this  _still_  wasn't a dream, and that Handsome Jack had actually promoted him to Head of Robotics. His cheek stung from the impact, and he knew there was probably an angry red mark blossoming on his skin. Rhys rubbed it gently with his robotic hand, the metal cool against his cheek and soothing the pain.

Then, despite the ache, Rhys grinned at Jack, the rest of his face flushing in excitement.

"Sorry sir, I was just shocked, you know? This is- God yeah, this is great, Jack! Er- Handsome Jack, sir. This was the last thing I expected when coming up here. Hell, I thought I was doing so bad that you wanted to personally fire me and like, flay me alive or something. How insane is that?" Rhys realized too late that he was rambling, and quickly shut his mouth when he saw the glare Jack was giving him.  _Fuck, fuck, fuck_.

The silence between them was tense as Jack continued to stare him down, and Rhys could feel beads of sweat rolling down his back. He gulped, his throat feeling tight and dry, and screwed his eyes shut. He didn't notice that Jack's eyes followed the movement of his Adam's Apple, nor the downward tug at Jack's mouth when the CEO realized he was staring at his underling's neck of all things.

_What the fuck_.

But the silence was ended when Jack slapped Rhys on the back, barking out harsh laughter at the cybernetic man.

" _Hooooly shit_ , kiddo! You shoulda seen your face!" Jack apparently thought it was funny enough to actually slap his knee, which Rhys filed away to tell Vaughn. Their CEO was a freaking  _nerd_.

"You need to relax, pumpkin. I ain't gonna fire you for running your mouth like that. Anyway," Jack stood behind him, using his hands on Rhys' shoulders to steer him towards the door.

"I got other important boss things to do, so go down to your new office and get whatever shitty knick knacks you have set up. I'll have someone email you a list of your new responsibilities, yadda, yadda. I expect you to be fully set up by tomorrow and ready to take on your new job with extreme enthusiasm. Make that job your bitch, is what I'm saying."

Jack didn't give him a chance to answer before he shoved Rhys out of his office, shutting the doors behind him with a slam. Stacey glanced up at him, eyeing the red mark on his cheek with distaste.

Rhys didn't let any of it bother him, not even the barely restrained sneer Stacey gave him with he grinned down at her and left for the elevator. His mood was only further lifted when he arrived back down on Robotics, passing by Vasquez who held his belongings in a cardboard box. When Vasquez saw Rhys gathering his things and saunter in his old office, he let out an agonizing shriek that was muffled by Rhys' new office doors as he closed them.

Oh yeah, he could get used to this.

* * *

 

News about Rhys' promotion traveled fast, and even Vaughn heard about it by lunch time, where he met Rhys in the employee lounge on the Accounting floor to scream about it. Not actually scream, but Vaughn's excited rambling  _was_ loud enough to catch the attention of people all the way across the room. _  
_

"Rhys!"

"Vaughn." Rhys eyed his friend with a smile, resting his chin in his hand as he watched Vaughn try to wrangle words out of his own mouth.

"You! Vasquez!  _Head of Robotics."_ The last part was spoken in a harsh whisper, but Rhys knew Vaughn wanted to scream it from the top of a mountain. He was feeling much the same way, but he chalked up his more reserved approach to still being in shock from it even happening.

"We've been over this like fifteen times, bro."

"Yeah but it seems like I have to have enough enthusiasm for both of us since you're all silent and calm. How can you be calm about this?!" Vaughn looked ready to pull his own hair out as he collapsed on the table, looking up at Rhys with something akin to awe.

"I think I'm in shock. That's possible, right? I should probably leave early and go to the ER or something. I mean, I don't even feel pain from this," He gestured to his still-red cheek. "But I'm pretty sure Jack slapped me hard enough to knock something loose."

Vaughn honestly didn't doubt it, though he did feel worry at the fact that Handsome Jack literally hit Rhys across the face. That was cause for alarm, right? Sure, Rhys asked for it, but what kind of CEO actually physically harmed their employees? As soon as he thought that, Vaughn slapped himself lightly on the forehead, causing Rhys to look at him questioningly. This was  _Handsome Jack_  they were talking about, after all. It was a stupid question.

"Okay, just don't ask him to do it again. I don't need a brain dead roommate."

"Your compassion and love for me is astounding." 

"I know. It's a miracle I even put up with you."

* * *

 

By the time Rhys and Vaughn were ready to take off, Rhys had gotten more congratulatory pats on the back than in his entire life, with certain members of the Robotics department near tears with their happiness at having Vasquez gone. Everyone was incredibly helpful with getting Rhys situated in his new office, even the people he had never talked to, and he had emails and messages from other sections of Robotics with more congratulatory comments. He supposed all the ass kissing was to be expected. He was their boss now, after all, and everyone in Hyperion wanted some way to rub elbows with the higher ups to save their own asses from extermination.

Rhys liked to think that some people were being entirely sincere in their comments, though. 

Either way, by the time they got home to find that Athena ordered Chinese take out for all of them, Rhys was on cloud nine. He seemed to float through the house, munching on Chinese food and adding his two cents to the conversation when the other two participants came to lull in the flow of things. Rhys sat there quietly, watching whatever shitty sitcom they put on and laughing at the jokes along with the laugh track. Nothing could bother him. Nothing could touch him. Nothing could-

His ECHO went off, the standard ringtone shattering the easy noise of the living room with precision. Dread started to fill Rhys' stomach again. Was that Jack? Was it from from Human Resources? Were they calling to tell him that they made a mistake and he was expected to clear out his office by tomorrow? Vaughn stared at him until he answered it, and Rhys waved him back towards the TV as he got up and went outside to take the call.

"Hello, this is Rhys speaking."

_"Christ, gingersnap, could you be any more dull? Answer with a little more pizzazz next time, yeah?"_

Rhys pulled the ECHO anyway to look at the screen, squinting at the unknown number flashing across it.  _Who the hell..._

"Uh, who is this?"

_"Did you forget lil ol' Jack already? I didn't hit you that hard, Rhysie."_

"J-Jack? How did you get-"

_"Asked Stacey to pull up your number for me. Anyway, just letting you know that I'm going down to the labs tomorrow and I want you there with me. Your input could be valuable and I wanna see about upgrading your tech. Can't have my Robo-Boy walking around with old ass hardware, got it, sweetheart? If you don't show up, I'm taking that as a refusal to work and firing you, soooo yeah. See you bright and early, like six. Bye!"_

The line went dead, beeping in Rhys' ear until the call ended on his side too. He stood out on the porch a little longer, wondering just what the hell he had gotten himself into by accepting that job offer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In my personal experience, that elevator thing works every time. Real handy when you have a competition to get to and the hotel you're staying at is filled with cheerleaders and medical students all trying to use the elevators.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kinda a filler chapter. It's definitely not what I would like it be, but I wanted to get something out, and there's things I need to get laid out world-building wise before we get to the stuff I actually have planned so
> 
> I'm sorry???
> 
> And a note, ECHO devices in this are designed to look similar to our smartphones. Basically, Hyperion made ECHO comms are the Apple iPhones of this AU.

Rhys' alarm went off twenty minutes earlier than it usually did, his flesh hand slamming down on the off button as he turned his head to try to suffocate himself with his own pillow. Though the sun was just starting to peek out over the horizon, he could hear Athena moving around the kitchen and talking quietly through his open door, most likely getting coffee started. During her new-found residency, Rhys and Vaughn had noticed that her sleep schedule was different and constantly changing, so sometimes she was awake when they left for work, and other times she was dead to the world. Rhys supposed it was former this morning.

With an exhausted groan, Rhys dragged himself out of bed and to the bathroom across the hall from his room, fumbling around until he got the shower running, water running colder than ice. He hadn't slept well the previous night after his call from Jack, his nerves too hyperactive to allow him anything close to a good night's sleep, and he hoped the freezing water would do well to wake him up, even though all he wanted was to soak in a heated bath.

The water sprayed over him as he bustled about, trying to get it over with as quickly as possible. With only one arm it took a little longer, but soon the temperature took a backseat as Rhys thought about what was in store for him. Jack had demanded that he meet him in the R&D Department for... what exactly? A supposed upgrade and his input? On what? Rhys only helped develop code for the products they made, he didn't get involved with anything more than that. If Rhys could made the programs they wanted, then his job was done. He didn't need to be there to see it fabricated and finished.

With a frustrated growl, Rhys scrubbed at his hair harder, his fingers sliding through easily in the suds. After, he made sure to clean everywhere else too, and when he exited the shower, he got out his cleaning supplies for the metal dock on his shoulder. He dried it as best as he could and then used his tools to get in the cracks, removing built up grease and grime, and making the metal of his shoulder shine.

By the time Rhys returned to his bedroom, towel wrapped securely around his waist, he had an hour left before he was to meet Jack, so he attached his arm and dressed quickly. Rhys made his way into the kitchen, his shoes clacking on the tile softly as he moved about, getting a travel mug for his coffee and thanking Athena on his way out. She was on the phone with Janey, so he merely smiled and nodded at her, which she returned with a wave of her own. Aside from making sure Rhys had his coffee that morning, Athena had also offered to give Vaughn a ride to work since Rhys would be leaving earlier.

The company man made a note to pick up some honey sweets from the store on his way home as a thank you, and got in his car to start it up.

* * *

 

Hyperion proper was quiet as Rhys walked into the building, with most of the employees on the ground floor looking at the ECHO devices or reading anything from reports to the newspaper. There was a quiet buzz of conversation in the lounge and in the cafe, and a few phones rang before they were quickly answered by receptionists, but other than that there was no noise.

Which was a very good thing, as some mornings one could walk into Hyperion and hear Handsome Jack over the loudspeaker, blasting some poor sap who had already fucked up that morning. Those days tended to be hell for everyone, and everyone who had meetings with Jack on days like those tried to weasel their way out any way that they could.

Rhys couldn't blame them. A pissed off Handsome Jack at in the morning meant an enraged CEO with trigger-happy firing tendencies by noon.

With a glance at the time, Rhys noted that he had roughly twenty minutes before he was due in R&D, which would be enough time to leave his things in his office and go down to the labs. He readjusted his bag, which was slung over one shoulder and crossed over his chest, and walked to the elevators, sipping from his travel mug as he waited for it to arrive. When the silver doors opened (again, honeycomb designs were everywhere, printed in an opaque gold over the elevator doors), Rhys was happy to find that it was empty and stepped in, pressing the floor for Robotics and leaning back against the hand rail. His ECHO chimed as the elevator began it climb to the twelfth floor, and Rhys saw that the screen alerted him to a message from Jack.

_'where r u '_

"Really?" Rhys whispered to himself, scoffing at the message. Somehow, his CEO's texting style didn't surprise him. He switched his coffee mug and ECHO device so that he could tap out a reply with his flesh hand, finishing and hitting send just as the elevator stopped and let him off on his floor.

 _'Robotics, dropping off my things. I'll be up in a minute.'_ R &D was located ten floors above him, so it wouldn't take him too long to ride up the rest of the way. A few people greeted him as he walked by the cubicles, which he returned with a smile and a small wave. When he got to his office (his office, holy shit), he dropped his bag onto his chair and left his mug on the desk, stopping to look around the room with a smile.

It was still a lot to take in.

Him, _Rhys,_ cybernetic boy wonder, as the Head of Robotics.

Another text alert had him leaving and locking the doors as he went, his legs and long strides carrying him to the elevator in no time.

 _'hrry up, ur making me cry'_ Handsome Jack confirmed for loser, Rhys thought to himself. He didn't know what warranted this behavior from Jack in the first place, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to show the texts to Vaughn when he got home. His best bro deserved to know how stupid their boss was, too. Another message followed that one as Rhys climbed into the elevator again, hitting the twenty-second floor with his thumb.

 _'im gonna yell ur name on the intercom if ur not here in 2 minutes'_  There was a festive pumpkin emoji after the weak threat. Rhys rolled his eyes, but he wasn't sure how he should take this. This was Handsome Jack, after all. He wasn't exactly known for being friendly with people, quite the opposite in fact. It'd probably just be best if he went with it, he decided. The elevator stopped, its familiar effect of making Rhys' stomach roll kicking in just as the doors opened.

 _'I'm getting off the elevator now, I'll be in the lab in like five seconds.'_ He stuff his ECHO into his pocket as he walked down to the hall to the lab entrance, sliding his ID through the card scanner at the door and stepping into the lab proper, his head swiveling around to look for Jack.

He didn't see the CEO anywhere. Rhys saw many scientists and engineers bustling about, hovering over weapon frames and circuit boards, but no Jack. Was this the right lab?

An engineer near the door spotted him, coming over with hurried steps and hands wringing together in front of him, looking like a nervous wreck. His eyes were glued to Rhys' arm as he walked up, then they shifted to his eye and lastly his neural port. The amount of interest in the man's gaze made something uncomfortable twist in Rhys' stomach, and he was taking a step back before he even realized it.

"Um, hi? I'm-"

"Yes, I know." The engineer said, eyes still stuck on Rhys' hardware, flickering between his port and arm. Rhys blinked down at him, face scrunching up in confusion.

"I didn't even-"

"Jack notified the entire department of his coming arrival and told us he'd be bringing you along as well." The engineer was wearing a watch on his left wrist, which he fiddled with as he spoke. It seemed like a nervous habit, but from the look in the man's gaze, Rhys figured it was more of an excited tick.

"Speaking of Jack, where is he? He was-"

"He also told us he'd be a little late." Rhys' felt his eye twitch, and he knew his expression was tight. If there was one thing he didn't like, it was people cutting him off, whether it was in traffic or conversation. The engineer must have noticed his pinched expression, his hands wringing together again that reminded Rhys more a scared rat than anything. Rhys straightened his posture, hands coming to rest at his sides, and watched as the engineer seemed to shrink into himself. He tried to school his expression into one that he'd seen Jack use, all pissed off and disgusted rolled into one, scathing glare.

Or at least, that's what he hoped it looked like. He'd only seen Jack do it a few times in the past as Rhys passed by Jack firing someone. Rhys however didn't get to see how the engineer responded to it as someone called him away, their voice irritated and short. He scampered off after leveling Rhys' tech with one last, uncomfortable look.

Thoroughly freaked out and awkward, Rhys pulled out his ECHO again and went to his recent messages, fully planning on reprimanding Jack for being late and forcing him to sit through that conversation. His plan fell short when Jack made another grand entrance to the labs, reminiscent of his arrival to Robotics the other day.

Oh _joy._

* * *

 After failing to draw an apology out of Jack for being late (read: Rhys didn't even try), the CEO led him around the labs, introducing him to prototypes that he helped program. It was certainly amazing to see his lines of code being translated into actual movement and functions. It actually warmed his heart a bit, especially after seeing a little robot beep and boop at him, happily responding to the commands scientists entered on a tablet.

Jack didn't ask him much about the prototypes beyond if he thought they were cool or not before he dragged him further into the labs. They passed by different departments that focused on the many specialties of Hyperion before they finally stopped at the Cybernetic Prosthesis Lab, which was filled with bustling employees making last minute adjustments on various artificial limbs, designing 3-D models for future products, and testing the movement of other prosthetic. When Rhys and Jack entered the lab, they all seemed to stop, and each of them trained their eyes on Rhys. It was like being faced with thirty copies of the engineer from before.

Jack cleared his throat pointedly and they all got back to work. Rhys heaved a quiet sigh, thankful to have their eyes off of him. He doubted Jack did that because he noticed Rhys growing uncomfortable, but it worked all the same.

Speaking of the CEO, he snapped his fingers in the direction of one of the engineers who was working on what looked like a robotic leg. The engineer in question handed off his clipboard to someone next to him and hurried over to Jack and Rhys, barely glancing at Rhys before focusing his full attention on Jack.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"Marcus, this is Rhys. Rhys, Marcus-" The cybernetic man gave Marcus a small wave and a timid smile, which was ignored. _Rude._ "Cool, so we're all friends now. My boy here needs an upgrade and you're gonna work on him."

Marcus, for what it was worth, seemed to take the direct command in stride, as if he was used to strange demands from their boss. Then again, this was Jack. The engineer nodded and took out a small legal pad and a pencil, posed to jot down whatever notes he needed.

Jack didn't seem to have any awareness of personal space as he crowded against Rhys, reaching over to grab his prosthetic and lift it up. Rhys, not knowing what else to, let him move the limb as he wanted while shooting questioning glances at Marcus, which were again ignored as the engineer shifted his focus to his arm.

"Get him a new one of these. Keep it a nice Hyperion yellow, though, it's good advertisement when he's out doing whatever boring shit his life consists of." Rhys squawked in annoyance and tried to yank his arm away from Jack, but the CEO's hand clamped around his wrist, effectively trapping him. "Upgrade the software in his ECHOeye too. For I know, this guy's running Windows 95 in that skull of his."

"I am _not_ -"

"Course' not, pumpkin." Jack dropped his arm, allowing Rhys to take control of it again. He turned it this way and that, extending it and curling it back up. His elbow squeaked and he was reminded that he had yet to buy that damn oil. Both Jack and Marcus stared at him when they heard the noise, both of them sharing a look of disbelief. Marcus even _scoffed_ at him.

"Really? Got priceless Hyperion tech literally wired into your meat sack of a body and you can't even take care of it? I should yank that right outta your undeserving, lanky corpse." Jack sneered at him, shoving his hands into his pockets as Rhys' face flushed in shame and his mouth gaped open like a goldfish. The implication of calling his body a _corpse_ was not lost on him.

"I'm sorry, sir! I just, I lost my oil recently and I haven't had the funds to replace it." Rhys looked at his shoes, the floor, the questionable stain to the left of Jack's boot, anywhere but the CEO's face. He gulped, keeping his head down. "I'll get more first thing after I get paid, sir, I promise."

Before Jack graced him with a verbal response, his hand met the back of Rhys' head with a hard slap, almost knocking Rhys forward into Marcus when he lost his footing.

"Don't let my shit get ruined, Rhys." Rhys rubbed the back of his head where Jack had hit him, frowning at no one but himself. Great. Jack was in a decent mood before this, and now he had tipped him into something worse.

* * *

They left the labs after Rhys was measured for a replacement and his ECHOeye evaluated. Despite Jack's teasing, his software was nearly up to date and needed minimal upgrades until it was running perfectly, which Rhys was grateful for. Having any sort of plug in his port was weird, and he'd rather have one attached for as little time as possible. Jack was still mad at him, or at least annoyed, by the time they said their goodbyes in the elevator. Or, Rhys said goodbye as he got off on his floor and was met with a glare from Jack as the doors closed again, ready to take the CEO up to his personal floor.

Rhys sighed, running a nervous hand down his front, and turned to walk to his office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also come bother me on [tumblr](http://justheretothink.tumblr.com)  
> or look at the lame art [I've been drawing](http://gongors.tumblr.com) while trying to think of stuff to write  
> Your comments give me butterflies in my stomach by the way. I literally cannot stop grinning at some of the stuff you guys write. **Thank you.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait, guys!! Ep 5 had me all wonky and then I was making some rad prop for my Halloween costume, which took up a lot of time and energy. ANYWAY, here's chapter seven!

Jack woke suddenly, coming to with a violent flinch as his dream-self decided to fall off of a cliff.

Fucking _classic._

It took a moment for his eyes to focus, and he had to shut them again to get rid of the stinging pain behind his eyelids and the pounding in his temple. When he opened them again, it was to the harsh light of his office and the realization that he was laying on his desk, his head pillowed on his arms, making them ache something fierce. With a groan, he straightened himself in his chair, stretching his arms above his head and making his spine pop with each movement. There was that familiar feeling of static in his arms, shooting down and all around until both limbs with tingling with sleep. Jack scowled, shook them out, and leaned back into his chair with a huff. He absentmindedly wiped at a spot of drool on his forearm and stretched out his legs underneath his desk.

Sleeping in his office was fucking stupid. Angel would probably have something to say when she found out he didn't go up to the penthouse last night. _Again._

It was just another floor up, at the very top of Hyperion, but the trip was often too far for Jack who was neck-deep in work. The entire penthouse was decked out like a mansion, complete with kitchen and toilet facilities, and served as a temporary lodging for him and Angel when his work was too important to leave.

That... happened more often than Jack would have liked, if he was being honest with himself. But jackholes at work demanded his attention at seemingly all hours of the day, which he supposed was his fault for working them so hard, but to hell with it. He was the CEO, he should be able to leave the damn building without it falling down on everyone else's head. Jack could have been at home, spending time with his baby girl and tending to his frankly _lovely_ buzz-babies, but _no_. Hyperion seemed to be in overdrive lately after the shift in power and numerous people leaving, and it all served to give the CEO a headache and a pain in his back that felt like Wilhelm just pile-drived him into next year.

Jack tapped his fingers on the desk surface, thumbing the mouse pad with his other hand to get his computer out of its sleeping state. His schedule was the only window open, informing him that he had several meetings today with various people ( _"Cyber Boy, Dumbass in Accounting, Board Meeting- more like BORED meeting! Ha! srsly tho fuck those guys, ANGEL"_ ).

He perked up a bit at the first entry. Jack was a little excited to see the kid again, if only to get a good look at the kid's tech. It was a real nice piece he had. Obviously old and out dated, but nice nonetheless, and it was clear that the guy took real good care of it. Jack hadn't seen a single nick in the paint when Rhys was in his office. It made sense from what Jack gleaned from his records.

Born without an arm, first in line for an experimental prosthetic and one of the only recipients to seamlessly adapt to the technology, and willing to have his organic eye gouged out and replaced with the ECHOeye. The kid was brave, he'd give him that. Stupid too, since the optic surgery could have left him as a cyclops, but brave. But he was hurting for a new arm, and with Hyperion able to deliver, it probably meant the world to him.

Jack liked that.

People owing him for bettering their lives?

Yeah, that was _nice._

Hell, Jack might as well tattoo _Hyperion_ across his forehead in like, bright yellow and high lighted with that glow-in-the-dark ink, just to make it stand out more.

The kid was also something fuckin' else. Who willingly asked Handsome Jack to just _deck_ them in his office? Honestly he would have gone for it instead of the slap, but he didn't want to ruin Rhys' eye and neural port. Jack was kind like that.

His computer screen lit with up a timed alert, telling him that he had ten minutes before he was due down in R&D. _Nah_. He was still waking up. Jack needed coffee before he could handle those nerds down in the labs. The CEO fired off an email to some scientist or engineer or whatever the fuck he was down in R &D informing them that he'd get there late, and then paged his secretary to have some coffee brought up to him.

Like, half cream with a shit ton of sugar. Super sweet, just like him.

Jack spun around in his chair, swiveling freely until he made one full rotation and used his foot to stop him when he faced his desk again. Gotta have a little fun, right?

He stood, stretching again and scratching at his stomach when he lowered his hands. Waking up was such a pain in the ass.

He grabbed his ECHO off of his desk and scrolled through his contacts until he came up on the cybernetic department head and sent off a text, leaning against his desk as he exited his messages and thumbed through his menu until he opened up some slot machine game.

 _'Robotics, dropping off my things. I'll be up in a minute.'_ Came back through to his phone, interrupting his winning streak and pausing the game. Jack smiled despite himself and started typing back.

* * *

Jack was obviously _wrong_ about Rhys being dedicated to taking care of his cybernetics, if the squeaking joints were anything to go by. He sounded like the goddamn Tin Man. Jack was surprised he wasn't hobbling around the lab asking for people to oil him.

"I'm sorry, sir! I just, I lost my oil recently and I haven't had the funds to replace it. I'll get more first thing after I get paid, sir, I promise." Jack rolled his eyes and hit Rhys on the back his head, not caring in the least when he stumbled forward. Jack noticed that Marky, or Marshall? What the fuck ever, Jack noticed he put up in his hands as if he was going to catch Rhys, but with one look from Jack, the engineer put his hands back down again, frowning at Rhys.

"Don't let my shit get ruined, Rhys." He saw Rhys give one shaky nod, his eyes still downcast and zeroed in on something on the ground.

Jack didn't talk much after that, giving simple orders for the engineer to take Rhy's measurements, and keeping quiet when they asked Rhys various questions about his cybernetics, how long he'd had them, how they were working, etc. He had his arms crossed over his chest, eyes boring into Rhys and whichever engineer was currently seeing to him. They quickly drew up drafts for new arms and programs under Jack's gaze, each one of them nervously eyeing him out of the corner of their eyes.

It was honestly a real fucking hoot seeing people piss themselves over him when he was in a mood. Some guy a few lab tables down even tripped over his own feet when Jack slid his eyes over him. He survived, just barely catching himself before he caved his skull in on the metal corner of the table.

Jack bit back a laugh, wanting to keep up his _"I'm Really Disappointed In You"_ facade up until Rhys was out of sight and out of mind. How else would the kid learn to not let his things get wrecked? A little incentive went a long way, right?

That was the saying, wasn't it?

Screw it, Jack was gonna have new posters printed with that by next week, with his disappointed and angry, yet still devilishly handsome face looming in the background.

Fuck _yeah._

* * *

Rhys rubbed the back of his head as he sat down at his desk, scrolling through files on his computer. The pain from Jack's strike was minimal and fleeting, but Rhys could feel it like a phantom pain. Or maybe it was the heat of Jack's glare that he was still feeling a residual ache from.

Honestly, that could have been it, too.

His eyes scanned the documents on the screen, his ECHO implant providing useful bits of information and key words as he went. It was mostly records and files from his department, pieces of reports he'd have to look over and sign off on, and requests for various things that his people needed. Among the files was a list of responsibilities that he now had, which which included bi-monthly meetings with the other department heads and quarterly reviews with Handsome Jack, followed by individual evaluations of the employees in his department which could be performed at any time he so chose.

They were simple requirements for someone of his position, and he still had some sizable work to do with actual coding, so it wasn't completely terrible. His position was turning out to be very hands-on, actually, so Rhys was starting to see why Jack was so quick to fire Vasquez, who couldn't be bothered to so much as write HTML code for a webpage from the nineties.

Rhys ran a hand over his face, groaning and collapsing back into his chair at the thought of the CEO. He had looked so _disappointed_ in him back at the labs. So soon after practically singing Rhys' praises, too! Well, not actually _singing_ , but Jack did tell him he was the best in the company.

Okay _god fine_ , not exactly like that, but it was close enough for Rhys.

He blamed his usual pay date for this newest dilemma. If he had just gotten paid, then he could have his oil and his arm wouldn't have squeaked like a dying mouse at the worst possible moment. Athena was helping them out with bills, but him and Vaughn were still hurting financially and would be until they got paid. Once that date came, they could pay the pills, cut three ways, and each of them would have spending money again for whatever they needed. Vaughn? Probably electronics and health food. Athena? Really sappy presents for her girlfriend. She thought she was being sneaky with those, but Rhys and Vaughn saw them every time. Rhys wouldn't lie, he thought it was _adorable_. As for him? Oil. Goddamn oil. And probably a shovel so he could just dig his grave now and lie it, that way Handsome Jack wouldn't have to worry about killing Rhys himself and getting his hands dirty in the process.

_God._

Rhys propped his elbows on his desk and promptly buried his face in his hands, groaning long and loud. Jack probably took his squeaky joints as an insult to his person, as if damaging Hyperion tech was damaging Handsome Jack himself. Even that engineer seemed to take offense to his negligence.

He groaned into his hands again, the sound vibrating his skin and his breath making the small space between his mouth and his hands hot and sticky. Rhys pulled his hands away, keeping his elbows up in the table as he pulled his hands back to examine them. The skin on his flesh appendage was lightly scarred from cooking accidents in the past and burns from working with his tools to tune up his arm. When he first received it, he was a bit clumsy when using the tools to dissect and doctor the inner workings of his cybernetics, so he fumbled with them until he eventually got the hang of it. The palm of his prosthetic was shiny and yellow, and the joints of his fingers reacted flawlessly to the signals his brain sent out. It had been a huge gamble to attach the arm so finely to nervous system, but it paid off in the end, and he was able to move it just as well as his flesh and blood arm.

Focusing and holding his palm up, Rhys activated the ECHO system in his arm, watching with a familiar fondness as the small lens in his palm slid open and began projecting a screen in the air above it. The graphic quality was decent for what it was, though it could have been considered out of date since Hyperion produced new models every year. But Rhys loved it all the same.

He figured it was as good a time as any to do a full system check up, so Rhys kept the ECHO screen up as his activated his eye and ran a simple diagnostic of his cybernetics. Everything came back clean for the actual tech, but his eye did remind him of physical needs that should be seen too, like tightening his shoulder socket and oiling his arm.

With a sigh, he deactivated his palm ECHO, but kept his eye going, scanning his office and taking inventory. He made mental reminders to get new decor in the place, and to throw out everything that Vasquez had put in during his run as department head. Rhys was just scanning the frankly hideous painting on the wall to the left of the door when someone knocked, poking their head after Rhys acknowledged them.

Someone from R&D came through, her white coat flowing about her as she walked into the room. Rhys couldn't help it when his eye began to scan her, revealing that her name was Selina Matthews, Cybernetic and Prosthetic Designer, age thirty-four. She had worked at Hyperion for ten years.

Rhys scowled and shut off his eye, absolutely hating when it scanned people without his permission. For her credit, she didn't seem to off-put by the act, merely regarding him with a faint smile. When Rhys was able to get his eye to power down, he gave her an awkward grin.

"Hi, what can I do for you?"

Matthews held up something for him to take, cocking her head to the side, her smile growing wider.

"Jack wouldn't stop complaining about some roboboy with terrible self-management skills ruining his toys until we agreed to give you this. It should hold you off until whenever you're able to pick up some of your own."

Rhys took the offered item, questions on the tip of his tongue which died when he rotated the item in his hand. It was small container, probably two inches in diameter and four in height, and was labeled as hydraulic fluid. It was Hyperion-made, a specialty oil made for their own line of cybernetics. In fact, it was the same oil Rhys used, only it wasn't packaged neatly like the store-bought cans were.

"Why-" Rhys gripped the can tightly and grinned up at her. "I don't know how to thank you for this."

Matthews waved him off, sticking her other hand in her coat pocket.

"Jack's silence is enough."

They shared a grin before Matthews was gone, claiming that she had various limbs to get back to dismantling. Rhys let her go, smiling stupidly at the fluid as he sat back in his chair.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love dramatic irony. So. Much.  
> Also I added an "implied child abuse" tag just in case. There is no child abuse in this chapter, and if it ever happens, it will _not_ be between Angel and Jack and will only be mentioned in brief passages.

If he could make himself any smaller, it'd help out. A lot. But he couldn't, so Rhys settled for keeping his head down while he was at work and preventing himself from doing anything to attract too much attention to his person. He did his work, oversaw progress with coding, met with different people in his department to get to know them as his _employees_ , rather than his _co-workers_. It was a shift in office dynamics, but no one seemed too miffed about having Rhys over them instead of in a cubicle next to them. If anything, they seemed to work _better_ now that Vasquez no longer presided over them. It was a nice feeling, knowing that he inspired a greater work ethic.

But Rhys still kept his head down, not wanting to draw Handsome Jack's focus to him again so soon. He used the oil he was given diligently, unsure if Jack would be keeping tabs on him just to make sure he was taking care of _his_ product. Rhys had to remember that, too, that Jack essentially owned the cybernetics that he had surgically implanted.

In a sense, Jack owned _him_.

Rhys shivered and banished that uncomfortable thought to the back of his mind, and got back to inputting data on his computer. It had been about a week since he and Jack visited the labs, and since then the lab technicians had sent him several files and programs to look over for bugs, and the people in the earlier development stages sent more plans throughout his department for them to start planning and writing code for the actions that the developers wanted.

Vaughn kept him entertained as he worked, sending him emails and messages on his ECHO about anything and everything. Things in Accounting were slow apparently, with no fraud to fix or misplaced money to find, and most of Vaughn's co-workers could handle the workload without him, so he was allowed a little time to slack off. He spent that time sending Rhys messages about their infamous neighbor, Mr. Lawrence. The aforementioned man and his daughter were back in town this week, their presence announced by the sleek black vehicle in the driveway and the new bottle of honey that Athena viciously hoarded to herself. But Vaughn still hadn't seen the man in question, and his theories on just who he could be dragged on. Rhys got the jist of most of them, but Vaughn's latest message included his idea that Mr. Lawrence could be a diabolical dictator who wanted to rid the world of _bad people_ all in the name of the greater good, and he used scientifically enhanced bees to help in his destruction.

Rhys scoffed and sent back a couple of laughing emojis. You know, the ones with the scrunched up eyes and tears from laughing so hard? Yeah, Vaughn got like, _seven_ of those in a row, and Rhys chuckled as he hit send on his ECHO.

Take _that_ , bro.

Rhys couldn't even fathom where Vaughn got his latest theory, though. They knew next to nothing about Mr. Lawrence, and none of it pointed to him being an evil dictator.

_'Lay off the video games, bro. They're frying your brain.'_

Vaughn sent back a couple of alien emojis, probably meaning to convey his weird and out of this world conspiracy theories, and Rhys smiled at the message before putting his ECHO face down on the desk.

The rest of the day at Hyperion passed by without anything exciting happening, with Rhys going over code for his own idea for a prototype in the mean time. He wanted to develop a personal companion bot, one that would act as a last line of defense in case of emergencies and as company if you ever got lonely. It's personality interface could be customized to fit its owner's needs, and would act like a pet more than anything, or like a guard dog that could fit in your hand. But it was still just a scribble on his legal pad and a handful of lines of code saved to his files, and his work took precedence over it, so it would be some time before he could build anything substantial.

With a sigh, Rhys glanced at the clock in the corner of his screen and decided it was a good time to call it a day. Vaughn had about another five minutes before he could clock out, so Rhys packed up his things and left his office to meet Vaughn on his floor. The trip to Accounting was silent and uneventful with only one other person in the elevator with him, so Rhys fiddled with his ECHO until the doors chimed and opened for him. The clack of keys and quiet murmur of conversation carried over the floor as people worked, many of them not bothering to look up as Rhys passed them by.

When he finally reached Vaughn's cubicle, he found the accountant glued to his screen, fingers flying over the keyboard with remarkable speed, and no apparent drive to clock out and leave. Vaughn didn't even notice Rhys walk up.

Rhys grinned and leaned down until he was looking over Vaughn's shoulder, his face precariously close to Vaughn's. The shorter man didn't even blink, so Rhys took his chance and hummed, loud enough for Vaughn to hear him, and made sure to speak directly into his friend's ear.

"So about those aliens!" The shriek that followed had a few people peering up over the walls of their cubicles, but they all went back to work when they saw Rhys waving at them with a huge grin. Vaughn jumped and pushed away from his desk violently, slamming into the opposite end of his desk in an effort to get away from whatever the hell had just scared him. When Rhys looked back down at him, laughter bubbling up through his throat, Vaughn was clutching at his chest and breathing heavily, his glasses skewed as he glared up at Rhys.

" _Not cool_ , bro."

"Oh come on," Rhys put a hand on his hip, still grinning. "You gotta admit, that was a little funny."

Vaughn didn't bother to respond, instead fixing his glasses and rolling back over to his computer. Rhys' little joke did serve to remind him of the time however, so Vaughn saved his work and shut off his computer, and packed away his things as Rhys watched with an over-satisfied smile from just outside his cubicle.

"I have one word for you, bro: _karma_ , and when it comes to bite you in the ass, I'm going to be the one laughing at your misery." Vaughn pushed his way past Rhys on his way to the elevator, not really mad at his friend, but annoyed to a certain degree.

"Uh, Vaughn, buddy?" Rhys called after him, easily catching up to Vaughn as he reached the elevator. Vaughn looked up at him, still glaring as he pressed the call button. "I'm sure that that was more than one word. Isn't counting your strong suit? _Bro._ "

Vaughn's aggravated yell followed them into the elevator, paired with Rhys' barely stifled laughter.

* * *

The drive home was a quiet affair, conversation muted to allow the silence to fill up with music from the radio instead. Predictably as they pulled into the drive way, Vaughn's eyes were glued to the house next to them and the car in the other parking space. Rhys spared a glance at the home, noticing that there were a few lights on and that he could see some shadows moving past the window blinds. Unlike his friend, he wasn't too worried or curious, although he did wonder how Angel was doing and if she was getting along with her dad all right.

During the week, they had several conversations with their neighbors in an effort to make themselves seem more friendly. It never hurt to have connections, after all, and passing on fresh baked goodies to the local moms worked wonders on every household. Their neighbors traded stories back and forth about Mr. Lawrence, never once dropping his first name or what he could possibly look like, much to the disdain of Vaughn, but they had heard more accounts of terrible encounters than they could handle.

Like their realtor said, nothing Mr. Lawrence did was illegal, he just had a downright sour disposition. According to their neighbors, he didn't hesitate to hurl out thinly veiled insults about their gardens or chosen paint covering their houses, and he regularly insulted their pets, constantly raving about how _his_ garden out back was _the best_ , and how his _bees_ were better than any old, smelly dog or mangy cat. Reportedly, Helen two houses down tried to give him and his daughter a welcome gift of cherry pie, but Mr. Lawrence shut the door in her face with a scowl and caused the pie to fly back into her, running down her front in bright red globs.

Helen even heard the man _laugh_ from behind his front door.

That was when Angel started going around the neighborhood to do damage control. Their neighbors had nothing bad to say about the teenager and only sung her praises, often citing how they couldn't imagine such a sweetheart being raised by that godawful man.

Honestly, all the stories reminded Rhys of his CEO, but he couldn't imagine Handsome Jack living in a suburban area like this one. The idea was too far fetched, and even Vaughn, the _king_ of far fetched ideas, laughed at him when Rhys suggested it.

With a last glance at the house, Rhys and Vaughn made their way inside, greeted by the smell of food wafting from the kitchen. They shared a look, equally worried because one, Athena was a shit cook, if they were being honest, and two, if the food smelled _that_ good then that meant someone else was in their home.

Their worry subsided when they heard Janey's laugh come from the kitchen, followed by a quieter chuckle from Athena. Janey's cooking they could handle, and she had some killer recipes from her mom in Australia, so they were more than happy to let her commandeer their kitchen for the night. They spared each woman a wave as they went to their respective bedrooms to change into comfier clothes, and when Rhys emerged he made a beeline for the living room. Usually when Janey was over, that meant game night for the four of them, so he booted up a multiplayer game for them all to enjoy and started up a solo round as he waited for the others to join him.

Rhys heard Vaughn make small talk with the ladies in the kitchen, his best friend's voice getting louder as he left and joined Rhys on the couch. He had two cans of soda in his hands, one of which he placed on a coaster in front of Rhys on the coffee table. Rhys nodded his thanks, eyes glued to the screen as he shot his way through enemy players in the game's online multiplayer mode.

When dinner was ready, none of them bothered to eat at the dining room table or at the kitchen island, opting instead to eat at the couch, each of them taking sporadic bites as they gripped their controllers and fought each other on the split screen.

Janey and Vaughn were really going at it, while Rhys and Athena stayed back and hunted each other with a little more tact. The screen was confusing to look at at times, and Rhys laughed every single time Janey died because she was focusing on Vaughn's portion of the screen instead of hers. After awhile, they decided to power the game off and switch to something else, so Vaughn pulled out Bunkers and Badasses. As they set up the game and got their characters in order, Rhys gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen. Washing them could wait until the following day, however, so he simply rinsed them off and put away the leftover food.

With the television silent for the first time since Rhys and Vaughn came home, they all heard a knock sound from the front door, causing everyone to look up at Rhys expectantly. He had yet to sit back down, so it was easiest for him to get the door. Rhys didn't bother looking through the peephole before he opened it, so seeing Angel's large, blue eyes staring up at him with worry threw him for a loop.

"You didn't answer." Rhys was taken aback by Angel's tone and her statement, wondering what could make she sound so.... shaken up. Had something happened? Did he need to call the police. His heart was pounding just thinking about it.

"Angel, is there something wrong?" Rhys tried to keep his voice quiet so as to not worry the others, just in case there was nothing actually wrong. That, and he wanted to keep from spooking the girl any further.

"I knocked five minutes ago but you didn't answer." Oh. Rhys was going to explain that they still had a game up and running around then, and the television would have been too loud to hear knocking, but Angel kept talking. "Can I come in?"

Rhys gulped, not too sure her dad would be too keen on her going into someone's house, let alone a house filled with adults Mr. Lawrence didn't know. He told her as much, again a little surprised by her reaction.

"No, it's okay! He knows I'm over here and he's okay with it. Please, can I come in? Just for a little bit, I promise." Angel was gripping the bottom of her grey hoodie, wringing the fabric nervously as she looked up at Rhys. She kept fidgeting too, as if her body was thrumming with electricity and couldn't sit still. Rhys sighed and knew he couldn't say no to her.

"Alright, stop it with the eyes, already." He opened the door wider to let her in and closed it softly behind her, locking the deadbolt and leading Angel into the living room. They were met with several pairs of confused eyes that switched from Rhys to Angel, but they all focused on Rhys when he cleared his throat.

"Everyone, this is Angel." She gave a small, shy wave from her place next to Rhys. Vaughn returned it, and Athena got up to greet the girl with a warm smile.

"Angel, you already know Vaughn and Athena," They had met when Angel dropped off the second jar of honey. "But this is Janey, Athena's girlfriend."

"Hiya, Angel!" Janey got up too, walking over to Angel to give her a firm handshake. "Athena's told me _alllll_ about you and your honey. Real good stuff, that is."

Rhys smiled at them, glad to see that Angel was responding warmly to the other occupants. Her behavior at the door had him all out of sorts.

"We were just about to start up a game of B&B. Wanna join us? Or not," Rhys quickly added after Angel gave him a confused look. "You can watch us if you like, or I can find something on tv for you to watch."

Angel looked contemplative for a moment, again fiddling with the hem of her hoodie. Her eyes shifted from each person as they made their way back to the couch, and Rhys even patted an empty spot between him and Athena for her take. She did happily, secretly enjoying the easy atmosphere the group created.

"Can you explain it to me? I've heard of it before, but I..." Angel bit her lip, thinking over her next words carefully. It was a stark contrast to the Angel Rhys has met before, and it only served to make him worry more. "I haven't had a chance to play it, or anyone to play it with."

The last part was said in almost a whisper, but everyone heard it. Angel looked around at them nervously, and she breathed a small sigh of relief when no one commented on it. Vaughn grinned at her though, and handed her a blank character sheet and a pencil.

"Here you go." Vaughn handed her the basic rule book, too. It was confusing to read through and thicker than the standard board game rule book, but it held crucial information on character creation. The rest they could teach her as they played.

"You gotta create a character first. Athena can help you with that, she's like, the biggest B&B nerd here, but don't tell her I said that." Vaughn stage-whispered, covering his mouth with his hand to prevent Athena from reading his lips. She could see and hear him of course, but Athena merely rolled her eyes and smiled as Angel giggled between her and Rhys.

It was another hour before Rhys coaxed an explanation out of Angel after they agreed to take a break. Athena had helped her create a neat elf character with cleric abilities to be the healer of the group, and the teen was doing pretty well for her first time, but Rhys wanted answers. It was clear that the rest of them were confused too, but they had kept to themselves, not wanting to startle Angel any more than she was.

"Hey Angel," The girl looked up at Rhys from her spot on the floor, one hand curled around a can of soda and the other holding the rule book. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it, but I want to know why you came over here looking so... _scared_. Is this something I should be worried about?"

Rhys didn't want to imply that he was worried that her dad had done something, but that's exactly what he was hinting at. He trusted Angel and didn't think she'd lie about her father and his behavior towards her, but what the neighbors had been telling him made Rhys think otherwise. Athena and the others went quiet, each citing a reason to get up and move to another spot in the house, like grabbing a drink or heading to the bathroom, leaving Rhys and Angel alone in the living room. She had stiffened when Rhys first posed the question to her, teeth clenched around the straw she had in the soda, but she visibly relaxed when the others left.

"No it's not like that, I swear." Angel looked down at the board as Rhys scooted off the couch to sit next to her on the floor. He stayed quiet, not wanting to rush her.

"It's just- It's just that dad got a phone call earlier, something about work, and whatever it was about made him _really_ mad." Angel took another drink from her soda and put down the rule book to fiddle with a couple of twenty-sided dice, anything to keep her hands busy.

"I don't like being around him when he's like that, so I usually stay in my room until he calms down." Rhys furrowed his eyebrows in thought as he went over her words, and his expression obviously worried Angel more, since she spoke a little louder and more frantically when she continued.

"Rhys, I swear it's not what it sounds like! I don't- I don't _cower_ from my dad because I think he'll hurt me! He'd sooner slice his own hand off before he hit me, _please_ believe me. He's, _god_ , he's got a nasty temper, but he's never touched me like that, I promise."

"Alright, Angel," Rhys a put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly as he smiled at her. He'd take her word for it. "I believe you. If that isn't the case, then why did you feel the need to escape?"

The teen took a little longer to respond as she got her breathing under control again, looking down at her lap with her bottom lip between her teeth and brows furrowed. It wasn't a bad reason, per se, but saying it out loud was daunting, and Rhys' implication made her realize that she really made it sound like her father was beating her, of all things.

"Dad- He knows I don't like to be around him when's really angry, so he tries to keep himself in his home office when it happens and he tries to be quiet, but I can still hear him through the walls. I just, didn't want to tonight, and I knew you were home and you all seemed so nice when I met you before so I thought it'd be okay and I-" Rhys put both hands on her shoulders this time, causing her to halt in her mini rant and look up at him.

"Breathe, Angel. It's okay." A nod and she continued, slower and calmer this time.

"Before he could get really into the phone call, I told him I was coming over here. I've told him about you and Vaughn and Athena, so he was fine with it. Dad told me he'd come over to get me when he was calm again."

"Angel," Rhys kept his tone soft, smiling at her again when she met his eyes. "You're more than welcome to come over here when he gets to be too much, alright? Make sure it's okay with him first, though, okay?"

Angel gratefully accepted the offer with a tight hug and whispered _thank you_ into Rhys' neck. Over her shoulder, Rhys met Vaughn's eyes, who was poking out of the kitchen, and nodded at him, letting him know that it was okay for them to come back into the living room. Once everyone was settled again and Angel was much calmer than before, they continued the game, playing for another hour or two before someone else rapped their knuckles on the door. Vaughn had passed out after his character was killed in battle, and Janey was busy defending Rhys' character, so Athena stood to answer the door.

Rhys wanted to see who it was, but the deep tones coming from the front porch signaled that it was probably Angel's father. The girl was dozing off against his arm, and he didn't have the heart to wake her until he absolutely sure that it was time for her to go. Rhys wanted to get up to meet this infamous Mr. Lawrence, but that was outweighed by keeping her asleep and peaceful.

Minutes later, Athena came back to the living room, kneeling down and carefully shaking Angel awake. The girl came to with a questioning hum, her eyes lazily focusing on Athena.

"Sweety, your dad's here. I'll walk you to the door." Angel nodded and with help from Athena and Rhys, she was standing on her feet. A little wobbly as she stood in one place, but steady enough to follow Athena to the door as the older woman led her by the hand.

Both Janey and Rhys said goodbye and goodnight quietly, which Angel returned with a yawn stifled by her hand. Rhys and Janey busied themselves with clearing up the game after that, letting Athena handle Angel and her father. When the bodyguard came back, she helped them get everything put away. Rhys shook Vaughn awake and rolled his eyes as his friend as Vaughn shuffled off to bed, not even bothering to help clean up.

As Rhys stuffed the game away, Athena bid Janey goodnight and walked her to her car. When she came back, she helped Rhys clean up the glasses and soda cans from around the table.

"I knew him." Rhys eloquently went _'Huh?'_ at the statement, his own mind tired and sluggish. It took him a minute to realize she was talking about Mr. Lawrence.

"I've worked for him before, helped him out when he thought someone was after him. He was totally right, by the way." Athena rinsed out some of the glasses, then turned to Rhys.

"Didn't think he'd be living here of all places."

Rhys, still lagging as his body started to remind him of just how badly he needed sleep, didn't even think to ask her about Mr. Lawrence and who he really was. He barely remembered what she said when he woke up the next morning, and decided that he didn't care enough to pester her about their neighbor.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween! Or, just a good day/night in general if you don't celebrate it.
> 
> This is a short chapter compared to the last one, but it has the Reveal! Where Rhys finally catches up with the rest of us and learns what the audience has known since the beginning.
> 
> Also, parallels! (kinda)

The day was beautiful, with the scent of coffee wafting through the house, pans on the stove sizzling with food, and Vaughn and Athena sleepily arguing over the benefits of console versus computer gaming. That last part may have seemed strange to anyone else, but to Rhys it was pleasant, witnessing the familiarity between the two. It just hammered home the fact that Athena was integrating nicely into their lives, and they formed some weird sort of family.

After Rhys stirred the potatoes in the pan and lowered the heat on the bacon, he turned to see Athena put Vaughn in a headlock, effectively ending the argument as he struggled against her hold. Rhys rolled his eyes, sharing a smile with Athena. She wasn't even trying. In fact, her attention was on the newspaper laid out on the island, and she was barely focusing on keeping Vaughn trapped.

The day _was_ beautiful.

Rhys turned back to the stove and began plating the bacon, making sure sure to drip as much grease off of the strips of meat as he could before he set them aside. The potatoes were next, going into a small serving bowl before he got out some eggs and whipped up a quick batch of them, scrambled. A simple meal, but tasty, with peppers and other seasonings on the potatoes and mixed in with the eggs. Before he could start carrying the dishes over to the island, Athena reached around him from behind and snagged up the bacon and potatoes, nudging Rhys with her elbow.

"I got this. Go get the newspaper, that one's yesterday's issue." Not even a please or thank you, but Rhys shrugged and did it anyway, padding through the kitchen to the living room and finally out the front door. He wasn't worried about his clothing, a tattered black Hyperion tee, faded with age, and jogging shorts, because it was Sunday, damn it. He could walk outside in his sleep clothes without being judged.

Rhys paused at the door and looked down.

Okay _maybe_ he was worried about his shorts. They were really short, like the kind that hugged your ass cheeks with each step. They were a gag gift from Yvette and Rhys mainly used them as sleepwear.

He pursed his lips, then thought to hell with it and walked outside to collect the mail. As usual, whoever did the paper route threw the paper at the end of the homeowner's walkway, so Rhys had to go to the end of theirs before he could bend down to grab it.

And he did.

Rhys bent at the waist to collect the newspaper, not even taking in his surroundings or bothering to check to see if anyone was around before he flashed them.

This negligence bit him in the ass. Figuratively, fortunately for him.

"Man, what is up with all the leggy brunettes lately?" The voice carried over from the house next door. You know, the one Angel lives in? With her dad? _Yeah_. Rhys perked up, looking out towards the street as he tried to place where he had heard that damn voice before. It sounded _awfully_ familiar.

"First there's this kid at work with like, insane _legs for days_ , then like, Helen down the street finally let the cat outta the bag and wore some cutoff mom jeans. Let me tell you about _that_ , haha!"

Rhys, slightly more aware and _horrified_ , turned and squinted at his neighbor, wondering if this is what the others meant about Mr. Lawrence's bad attitude. He dropped the folded newspaper when he noticed that it was Handsome _Goddamn_ Jack sitting on the porch, legs up on the railing as he reclined in a chair, one hand cradling a mug of what Rhys assumed to be coffee. His hair that was usually coiffed to perfection was messy and untamed, stray wavy strands acting like they had a mind of their own. When his mind finally caught back up to him, he scrambled to pick the newspaper back up as Jack barked out a laugh and loudly exclaimed: _Holy shit, it's you, kiddo!_

"Handsome Jack?! I- What? What are you doing here?" He belatedly tacked on a sir. Handsome Jack swung his legs down and stalked off of his porch, walking down his own path and onto the sidewalk to stand in front of Rhys, taking a loud slurp of whatever the hell he was drinking before he dignified his Head of Robotics with a response.

"I live here, _duh_. Angel didn't mention your name when she told me about newbies moving in, though." He said after a minute, licking remnants of his drink from his lips. Rhys tore his eyes from Jack's mouth and took a panicked step back, remembering the sour attitude Jack was in the last time they were face to face. Had it really been only a week since the lab incident? Suddenly, it seemed like it had happened five minutes ago.

The day wasn't looking so nice, now.

Rhys regained some of his wits and held up the newspaper to his chest, gripping it with both hands like a small shield. Jack was staring at him, expression light with one eyebrow cocked up as he waited for Rhys to say absolutely anything. Rhys noticed too, that Jack was dressed similarly to him, with a threadbare shirt covering his torso and only boxers covering everything else. Rhys' eyes drifted down further, and shot back up when he noticed Jack's _fuzzy yellow slippers._ God, they weren't just yellow. They had black stripes, too, and were those  _wings?_

If Rhys stared at them any longer than he had (read: it was for 0.1 seconds), he knew he would start laughing in his boss' face. Or, he would start, and then bring up the newspaper to hide his face as he attempt to bite back his laughter.

"Uh," Rhys locked eyes with Jack, bringing the main situation at hand back into focus. " _You're_ Mr. Lawrence?"

Jack's reaction was immediate. He lowered his coffee mug and cocked his hip, placing one hand there as his expression shifted from vague amusement to annoyed anger. Jack leaned into Rhys' space, brows furrowed and lips pursed. From this distance, Rhys noticed two things. One, he was taller than Jack by at least an inch, and two, that the scar that ran up and down Jack's face was mesmerizing, and it hurt Rhys to imagine the pain that Jack went through to receive it.

(Jack's scar was always the elephant in the room at Hyperion, but it wasn't the time to dwell on that.)

"Have those nasty, nosy, jackholes been filling your head with stories about me?" Jack brought his mug back up to his mouth, still obnoxiously close to Rhys, and the slightly taller male had to lean back to avoid being hit with the white mug. Again, Rhys noticed small details due to their proximity, like the cute, stylized bees on Jack's mug.

 _Bees._ Honey. Honeycomb. _Hexagons all over Hyperion_ ever since Jack came into power and redesigned the whole place.  _Handsome Jack_ was his beekeeping, neighborhood terrorizing neighbor, aka the Mysterious Mr. Lawrence. _Fuck._

Rhys would have began to hit himself in the face with the folded newspaper, _repeatedly_ , if Jack hadn't been there. But he was, and Rhys still had a question to answer, despite his own realization of just how _stupid_ and _blind_ he had been.

"No? Maybe? A little bit, _possibly_?" Rhys flinched, leaning back further when Jack groaned, his free hand coming up to ran over his face and through his hair before he pointed a finger in Rhys' own face.

"Don't listen to them, Rhysie. They're just JEALOUS," Jack turned to face the houses across the street, as if daring the occupants to come out and fight him. "Of my _prize-winning_ hydrangeas! And of _my bees_ that keep this _goddamned_ neighborhood filled with beautiful flowers! I'm taking care of the ENVIRONMENT!" Jack yelled that last word too, another challenged posed to their neighbors.

"Anyway, babe, lemme see this." Jack turned back to Rhys after flipping off the houses around them, boldly ignoring Rhys' personal space (when does he _not_?) to grab his prosthetic. Helpless and a little scared for his own life, Rhys let Jack examine his arm, swallowing thickly as he poked and prodded and bent his arm at the elbow. Satisfied with... _whatever_ , Jack let go and nodded once.

"Good, you've been using that lubricant." _Oh._ "I mean, I could think of a dozen better uses for lube, _if you catch my drift_ -" Jack had the gall to nudge Rhys with his elbow, waggling his eyebrows at him with a downright lecherous grin on his face.

_God._

"-But if I catch you with squeaky joints again, I'm shoving that lube down your throat, container and all. Got it, cupcake?" Jack knocked his coffee mug against Rhys' arm, the ceramic and metal clanking together. Rhys pulled back reflexively, not noticing how Jack narrowed his eyes at the motion. He nodded though, quickly shaking his head up and down and hissing out a quick, obedient _yes, sir._

His CEO and newly discovered neighbor took a step back, giving Rhys a once over before he turned on his heel to head back into his own house. Or at least, back up onto his porch to lounge in the morning sun. Jack called out to Rhys over his shoulder, not bothering to look back.

"Don't tell people I live here, or you know, lube container down your throat and all."

Rhys didn't even bother responding before he hightailed it back inside his own home, steps hurried as he ran up the stairs to his porch and slammed his front door shut.

Vaughn was going to have a _field day_ with this.

* * *

His small, bespectacled roommate did indeed have a field day with the information, though it wasn't filled with excited yelling and jumping around like Rhys thought it would be. At first, he didn't believe Rhys, but he certainly did when Athena confirmed Rhys' claims, again mentioning that she had worked for him before.

"He wasn't CEO, yet." Athena told them after washing down some bacon with her coffee. "Jack was in control of one of Hyperion's smaller branches at the time, but some guy named Tassiter controlled everything then."

"I can't believe this." Vaughn muttered, hanging his head in his hands and staring at the island surface. "You were right. Rhys, you were half-joking when you said it, but _you were right_. Handsome Jack, our reigning CEO, is our _neighbor_."

"Hey Vaughn. Welcome to the discussion. We established that like five minutes ago." Athena huffed, amused with Vaughn's reaction. If she had known that the boys would react this way, she would have actually told them the other night when Jack came by to pick up Angel. It had been... nice? Yeah, sure, it had been nice to see the guy in person again, though she was honestly surprised to find him living in the modest suburban area.

"I know, I know! I'm just, still processing this. It's big, like really big. So big in fact, that Rhys and I need to find a new place to live so that we're out of Handsome Jack's hearing range. I'll ask Yvette if we can sleep in her living room until we find somewhere nice and cheap and away from our boss. Rhys, you start digging around on Craigslist." Vaughn was already pulling up his ECHO device to call Yvette, and both Athena and Rhys could already hear the ringing coming from the ear piece.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, Rhys plucked the phone from Vaughn's hand and ended the call before Yvette could answer, ignoring Vaughn's indignant cries.

"We're not moving again. Living next to Handsome Jack is not that big of deal. We're going to be _fine_." Rhys only half believed his own words.

* * *

The first thing Jack did after he walked back into his own house was to fill up his mug with steaming coffee. Then, he walked through the hallway until he came up to Angel's room, the door slightly ajar and covered with drawings Angel did when she was just tall enough to reach her dad's knees.

They were friggin' adorable and no matter how much Angel complained, the drawings were staying. Smiling at the thought, Jack nudged the door open after softly knocking and hearing Angel give him permission to enter. The teen was laying on her bed, stomach down as she flipped through a book, her feet kicking back and forth in the air lazily. Her eyes flicked up to look at her father before she looked back down at her book, a smile on her lips.

His daughter was so fucking cute.

"What's up, dad?" Angel scooted over a little, giving Jack just enough room to plop down next to her on the bed, one hand braced on the mattress as he tried to peek at what she was reading. She saw him trying and shifted to block his view, sticking her tongue out at him all cheeky like. Jack returned the gesture because he was an _adult._

"Why didn't you tell me the names of our neighbors, sweetheart?"

Angel flipped the page over, reading the first few lines before she hummed in response to her dad's inquiry. "I did. Rhys, Vaughn, and Athena. They're all super nice."

"Then why didn't I remember that Rhys was one of them before I met him?" Jack took a sip of his coffee, moving his hand from the mattress to Angel's head to brush some of her hair back over her shoulder. She shrugged, still focused on her book.

"I think you were going over notes from work when I told you. Wait," Angel sat up suddenly, folding her legs criss-cross as she gave Jack her full attention. "You met Rhys? When? Did you like him? He's really nice, right?"

"Rhysie works for me, Angel, I think I would have remembered if you mentioned his name in conversation." Jack ignored her other questions, trying not to focus on why Angel appeared to be so adamant on getting his opinion on the guy. He was nice, sure, a little nervous sometimes around Jack, but fear was healthy, right? Jack did have to admit though that the guy had a great set of legs, and his face wasn't too hard on the eyes, either.

(Whoa, Jack, buddy, this is your Conscience speaking: stop thinking about your hot employee around your precious baby girl. Bad Jack, _bad_.)

"Apparently not." Angel chuckled softly, hiding her smile behind her hand. Jack hated it when he she did that because frankly, her smile was _gorgeous_ , but Angel herself didn't think so. "But that's cool. I didn't know that, the whole working for you bit. What's he do?"

"He's a part of our Robotics department, head of it now, actually. I guess he's nice, though." Jack drank some more coffee, watching as Angel smiled real wide, the corners of her mouth just visible over her hand. Smug little shit. "A bit clumsy, but nice."

Jack narrowed his eyes at Angel, just a tad suspicious of her motives behind her line of questioning. She had never cared about what he thought of their neighbors before, probably because he'd made it abundantly clear that he didn't like any of them, so it was strange to have her question him like this. Maybe she had a crush on the guy and wanted ol' dad's approval? Like some young puppy love that kids got in their early years. Hell, even he had a thing for a few older men and women when he was her age.

If that was the case though, then Rhysie had a one-way ticket to the afterlife.

Figuratively.

Handsome Jack didn't _murder_ people, for god's sake.

"Get back to your book, pumpkin. I'll go cook us up some breakfast." Jack ruffled his daughter's hair as he got up from her bed and gave her a peck on the forehead. Before he was completely out the door, he pointed his fingers at her like a gun and made _pew pew_ noises. Laughing, Angel pretended to be shot and fell back onto the bed, still giggling even as Jack closed her bedroom door.

_Adorable._


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! I was taking care of a lot of art things, and real life in general was getting in the way of writing. You know how it goes. 
> 
> Also, your comments are always so sweet and I love reading them! I am sorry though that I don't reply to them, I just don't want to clutter the comment section with my rambling. If you want to talk to me one-on-one, you're more than welcome to send me an ask over on my [tumblr!](http://justheretothink.tumblr.com)

Life was just...  _normal_ after Rhys had the utmost pleasure of running into Handsome Jack that morning. Work continued on as usual, though Jack did pay more visits to Rhys' department, and his home life was relatively calm, too, even with Vaughn insisting every five seconds that they should move again. The accountant was freaking out over the situation more than Rhys was, worried that Jack had seen Vaughn spying on him from the kitchen window or overheard some of the theories the shorter man had come up with. 

Rhys was tempted to just tell Jack about those theories, confident that the CEO would find them hilarious and infinitely less insulting than what their neighbors said about him.

Speaking of neighbors, the three roommates soon found out just what their neighbors were talking about when they mentioned the single father. Jack and Angel had yet to leave the suburban home, making it their longest stay at the house since Rhys and Vaughn moved in, and they got to witness firsthand just how nasty Jack could be to the families around them. It wasn't even unusual to them, with the two Hyperion lackeys being used to it after working for the guy for nearly a decade now, but they understood the frustration that their neighbors felt.

The following week, Rhys and Vaughn came home to see Jack arguing with some guy from across the street, the two of them standing in Jack's drive way as they squared off, bickering about the presence of Jack's bees in the other man's yard, which his dog apparently thought were great things to play with and attempted to eat one, resulting in one very swollen snout. Rhys sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingers as he got out of the car. Vaughn followed his line of sight and grimaced, quickly shutting his passenger door and rushing inside, leaving Rhys to lock up the car. 

Jack's head shot up at the sound of the car door, completely ignoring the other man as he noticed Rhys and waved to him, calling him over with a frown and his _Boss Voice,_ as Rhys liked to call it. There was no ignoring that tone, so Rhys closed his door and walked over to the arguing pair, shoulders slumped and pace sluggish. Jack, noticing his reluctant pace, snapped his fingers impatiently at Rhys and pointed to his side, frown deepening. _  
_

"Today, pumpkin. Come here and help me settle this friggin' stupid argument."

Rhys gave his boss a withering glare, but he did as he was told, looking over to their neighbor with a small, awkward smile. Jack clapped a hand onto Rhys' shoulder, making him stumble a little, and waved his other in their neighbor's general direction.

"Rhys, Michelson. Michelson, Rhys." The man-now-known-as-Michelson gave Rhys one stubborn nod as he crossed his arms over his chest and spread his feet a little further apart, widening his stance and puffing his chest out. This gave Rhys pause, and he cocked one eyebrow at the guy. He was clearly posturing in front of them, trying to make himself seem more intimidating. Then again, he was facing two men who towered over him. What was he, five foot even? Hell, he might have been shorter than Vaughn.

Jack continued on like he didn't noticed Michelson's little display (he clearly did, if his amused grin was anything to go by), his grip on Rhys' shoulder tightening.

"Rhysie, babe, tell this man that his dog is stupid for trying to eat bees." Jack leaned more on Rhys, his hand grabbing Rhys' arm and subtly pulling the robotics manager closer to him.

"Um-"

"Tell Mr. Lawrence here that his bees are a danger to everyone. My Snapper had to be rushed to the vet, and I want  _him_ -" At this point Michelson pointed a very stiff finger at Jack, expression hard. Jack just smirked back at him. "- To pay for Snapper's bills since it's his fault in the first place. It's not even  _legal_ to keep bees in your backyard."

"Well," Rhys was cut off again, this time by Jack who barked at Michelson, his voice ringing in Rhys' ears.

"You wouldn't be complaining about vet bills if your mutt wasn't so friggin' dumb! And beekeeping is perfectly legal here! Show em', gingersnap." 

Rhys floundered, wondering just how the hell he was supposed to do that, when Jack nudged him, his eyes still on Michelson.

"Palm ECHO, babe." 

Oh, right.

With little hesitation, Rhys powered up his palm ECHO, his left eye glowing a faint blue as it activated the systems in his arm. A holographic screen popped up, glowing the same blue hue as his eye, and Rhys ordered a quick search on urban beekeeping and cross referenced it with their county laws. Within seconds, Rhys had legal documents displaying laws and ordinances passed with the last ten years concerning beekeeping and other environmental movements. The bill that allowed residents to keep bees in and around their home was passed roughly six years ago, with conditions set forth that required potential beekeepers to adhere to certain rules and regulations in order to keep bees on their property. As long as those were followed, it was perfectly legal.

"He's right, Mr. Michelson." Rhys flipped his screen around so that Michelson could read it, allowing him to verify the information with his own eyes. "The bill was passed a few years ago. Mr. Lawrence isn't doing-"

Jack poked him in the side, a slight pout on his lips. "Just Jack, pumpkin. Same at work."

"Uh... right, um, _Jack_ isn't doing anything illegal, and he isn't controlling his bees and telling them to sting your pet. If your, ah,  _Snapper_ was injured by Jack's bees, then the fault is on your dog, not him. It's," Rhys swallowed heavily, slightly unnerved by the glare Michelson was now giving him. He powered down his palm ECHO and continued, "A learning experience, anyway. Snapper probably won't try this again, so that's good, right?" _  
_

Rhys laughed awkwardly, the tension between them stifling, and rubbed the back of his neck with his prosthetic. Michelson narrowed his eyes at both him and Jack, looking up at them with what Rhys would call an expression of utter contempt. Jack was legally allowed to go about his business however, and he wasn't obligated to take responsibility for the well being of someone else's dog, no matter the consequences. Besides, it wasn't as if Michelson could prove that it was one of Jack's bees that caused the swelling.

" _Fine._ " Michelson finally ground out through gritted teeth. "But one of these days, Lawrence, one of these days I'm getting your pompous ass thrown out of this neighborhood."

Michelson stomped away after one last heated glare, and Jack waved him off with a faux cheerful grin, his other hand still latched onto Rhy's flesh arm. 

(What the hell was up with  _that?_ )

"Anyway, cupcake, now that that loser is gone, I got something I wanna talk to you about." Jack finally released his arm, though it was only to slide his hand back up to Rhys' shoulder as he came to stand in front of him, giving his shoulder a quick squeeze in the process. Seriously, what was up with all this physical attention? 

"Yes, sir?" Jack gave him a  _look,_ and Rhys quickly cleared his throat. "Sorry. _Jack_."

"Right so, Angel is dead set on me getting into the good graces of some of the bozos in this dumb place, and what better ones to start with than you and your..." Jack waved in the direction of Rhys' home, shrugging as he did so. "Band of merry men? So yeah, dinner this Friday, your place. Put out two extra plates, Angel's allergic to shellfish, I don't like cheese, easy on the garlic, and Angel's not allowed soda after six. I like dark lagers and rose wines, yadda yadda."

Rhys leveled Jack with a look of his own, lips set in a thin line as he crossed his arms over his chest. Jack scoffed, rolling his eyes at Rhys.

"What's that look for, babe?" Before Rhys could stop himself, he smirked at Jack, letting his own voice drop into a teasing tone that he usually only reserved for friends. 

"Well,  _Jack,_ first you invite yourself and your daughter over to my home. Angel is a sweetheart honestly, so I don't mind her. But you? And then you don't even offer to bring something? Never come to a gathering empty-handed, my mother always told me. For shame." Shit.  _Shit._ What was he doing? Was he allowed to joke around with his boss? Was that a thing one did with  _Handsome Jack?_  

Jack's eyebrows raised up, surprise clearly on his face, and his smile was gone, replaced by slightly gaping lips. Rhys was sure that his own expression was one of pure terror. Then, Jack did something entirely unexpected. 

Jack's hand came down on Rhys' shoulder again,  _hard_ , and his expression morphed into one of hilarity as he nearly doubled over in front of Rhys, his other arm wrapped around his middle as he laughed. His only anchor was the hand on Rhys' shoulder, so Rhys shook too with the force of Jack's laughter, his own nervous chuckles completely drowned out by Jack's guffaws. After what seemed like an eternity, Jack came back up, wiping at the corners of his eyes to brush away tears. Rhys gulped, not chancing opening his mouth again until Jack said  _something._

"Whoooo boy! Oh man, you had me going there, Rhysie! That's good, I like a little spine in guys!" What the  _hell._ "But seriously, must have missed out on that little lesson on account of my old ma being dead and all. Whoops."

_Oh god._

The CEO was still grinning though, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he did so, his teeth showing from behind his curled lips. Endless mirth was a good look on him. No, wait,  _fuck,_ Rhys what are you doing, Jack just dropped a huge bomb on you,  _get it together._ _  
_

"Jack, fuck,  _I'm so sorry-_ " 

"Nah it's fine. Never knew the broad, god rest her soul. She died in childbirth." Jack said it so....  _casually,_ like never having the chance to know his own mother didn't bother him. Rhys was at a loss for words, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth as he gazed at Jack. His boss, being the observant man that he was, noticed this and instantly dropped his grin, frowning at Rhys. 

"None of that, pumpkin. It's fine, happens to a bunch of people." 

Rhys made to protest, his mouth opening around half formed words and cautious reassurances, but he was silenced when Jack covered his mouth with one of his hands, letting nothing more than a muffled gasp escape.

"Drop it, Rhys." Jack stared at him, hand still covering Rhys' mouth and his eyes set on the amber haired male in an unflinching gaze. Rhys swallowed again, tongue heavy in his mouth, and nodded, Jack's hand moving with the motion. "Good. I'll see you at work tomorrow. Come up to my office when you get there, no rush."

Finally, Jack removed his hand from Rhys' mouth, though he didn't remove it from his person entirely. It traveled down to his neck, Jack's thumb resting right on top of the black tattoo Rhys had gotten when he was still in college. His skin prickled under Jack's touch, flush rising to his face as Jack seemed to focus on the ink, his thumb rubbing lazy circles over his skin. Rhys gulped, his Adam's apple bobbing with the action, and Jack's eyes trained on that instead. 

_What was happening._

"Um, Jack?"

Just as quickly as his hand was there, it was gone. Jack shoved both of his hands in his pockets, gaze still fixated on Rhys' neck before he snapped out of whatever daze he was in and looked Rhys in the eyes again. His lips curled up in a cruel smirk as he began to walk backwards up his driveway, shrugging. 

"Sorry, babe. My mind was elsewhere. See you tomorrow." Jack spun on his heel and marched back into his house, closing his door with a bang.

Rhys stood in the driveway a bit longer, his own hand reaching up to rub at his neck where Jack had touched him. He felt his face get hot again, and his skin broke out in more gooseflesh as he ran his fingers over his tattoo. Rhys let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding, and walked to his own front door and into his home, hand still covering the last spot Jack touched him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please google dogs stung by bees. Please. I feel so bad for them but at the same time it's so fucking hilarious.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special shout out to [ichikun](http://ichikun.tumblr.com) for helping me with this chapter!

Waking up felt weird. There was that subtle pull at the back of your mind, tugging you into a state of consciousness and completely ignoring the haze of sleep that blanketed your mind. Everything was slow, the world coming into focus at a snail's pace.

Rhys felt all of this as his alarm began to go off, as well as a heavy weight on his right side and an intense throbbing in his head. He groaned, reaching up to rub a hand over his face.

But nothing happened.

His hand didn't reach his face. It didn't move at all.

At first, Rhys thought he was experiencing a phantom limb sensation, where he thought he was moving his cybernetic attachment but it was docked on its charging station. However, that didn't explain the weight he felt. Rhys shifted his head on his pillow, turning his face to look at his arm's docking station, and he felt himself stiffen with the realization that his arm wasn't there.

_Goddamn_ it.

At least he knew what the weight was now, and why it was there as memories from the previous night came flooding in.

After solving the disagreement between Jack and Michelson, Rhys had gone back into his home, played a few rounds of Mario Kart with Vaughn, and enjoyed a nice dinner with him and Athena. Then, the other women in his life came knocking (literally), along with one very disgruntled August and Fiona's new puppy, Gortys.

To put it simply, everyone got shitfaced. If Rhys walked out into the living room right now, he'd probably find at least three extra people still sleeping off their hangovers. God, he just hoped that if Fiona was one of them, that she remembered to take her puppy out to go to the bathroom. He did _not_ want to clean that up right now.

Rhys groaned again, cursing himself for not detaching his arm last night before he passed out in his bed. Now he had a dead arm, a massive headache that got worse by the second, and little time to put a charge into his arm as he got ready for work. Sighing heavily, he heaved himself up to a sitting position, rubbing his forehead with his flesh arm before reaching over to turn off his still-buzzing alarm.

As he did so, he noticed a full glass of water on his nightstand, joined by two white tablets and a note scrawled in the familiar handwriting of Yvette.

_'You can thank me in the morning, hun. Tried getting your arm off too, but you were sound asleep and I didn't want to wake you. - Yvette.'_

Yeah, okay, Yvette was definitely back on his Christmas list, Rhys thought as he quickly downed the two tablets and nearly emptied the glass. The water helped to soothe his stomach too, removing the edge of his slight nausea until the pain relievers could really kick in. With one problem soon to be solved by the wonders of modern medicine, Rhys set about to fix his other one and rummaged around in his nightstand drawer until he found his tool kit. He then detached his prosthetic with a practiced hand, easing the arm from his shoulder port once its locking mechanisms were undone and placing it on the bed next to him.

Rhys stared down at his arm, feeling oddly morbid as he looked at it. There was always some disconnect whenever Rhys saw his prosthetic and it wasn't attached to him. It didn't necessarily feel _wrong_ , just not completely _right_ , and he always ached to get it back into his port and connected to his body as soon as physically possible.

But that would just have to wait this morning, so Rhys set it up on the dock to charge as he got ready for work, and he hoped it would have enough of a charge to turn on afterwards. He went through his usual routine in the bathroom and dressed normally when he came out, hair still damp and causing his skin to prickle as the air in his bedroom cooled it.

One glance at the docking station revealed that his arm had barely taken on a charge, which was just fucking _bullshit_. Rhys groaned, hanging his head as he stood there. He'd probably have to replace the battery, or have its internal systems looked at to see if there another problem interrupting the charging sequence. Rhys hadn't been in the shower for too long, but it should have been enough time to give his prosthetic a decent charge, at least one that could last him until he got to his office. If that had been the case, then he could have brought along a portable charger and detached his arm in the privacy of his own office.

People wouldn't stare at him then, at least. But they would now since he was going to have to come into work with one less limb than the day previous.

As Rhys resigned himself to his fate and rolled up the right sleeve of his shirt, his ECHO (which was charging, at least Drunk Rhys remembered that) went off, its ringtone sharp and jarring in the relative silence of his room. He swiped his thumb across the screen without bothering to see who it was, and could only let out one, continuous groan of despair as he read the message.

_'morning sugarplum!!!! remember u gotta come up 2 my office today'_

Rhys almost cried out when another messaged came through.

_'i heard u guys parting supes hard last nite lmao,'_ Jack sent along a few bee emojis too, intermingled with the peace sign. _'but that aint a excuse to not get ur ass up here xoxo'_

He tapped out a simple _"ok, see you soon"_ and threw his ECHO onto the bed, soon following it as he dropped himself back onto the mattress, not caring that he was messing up his clothes. God, how could he forget about that? And now he was going to have face Jack of all people while missing his arm.

_Fuuuuuck_.

"Rhys?" There was a soft knock on his door before the handle turned and Vaughn poked his head in. "Come on bro, we're gonna be late. I got your coffee ready for you."

Vaughn was truly a life saver. If Rhys wasn't wallowing in his own despair, he would've gotten up to kiss the guy.

It wouldn't have been the first time.

Luckily, Vaughn seemed to take pity on him, and instead of standing at the door and rushing him to get a move on, he ventured further into Rhys' room and sat down on the bed next to him, a gentle hand rubbing circles on his back. His hand stilled when he saw that Rhys' right sleeve was empty and rolled up, and that Rhys seemed to be pressing his shoulder into the mattress to hide it.

An old habit Rhys had started in middle school, long before Hyperion offered him a solution. Vaughn immediately felt a weight settle upon his own shoulders, familiar and unwelcome.

"Rough night?" The teasing tone was clear, and Rhys scoffed before rolling over onto his back, shifting Vaughn's hand onto his stomach instead, his right shoulder still digging into the bed. Vaughn kept his hand moving in comforting circles on his stomach even after he shifted. What a bro. "You wear that hungover-and-miserable look well though, I gotta say."

Rhys bit his lip as he looked up at the ceiling, fighting the smile from Vaughn's comment. "I have to go into work without my prosthetic," Rhys paused, swallowing around the lump in his throat.

"And Jack wants to see me first thing." His eyes shifted to Vaughn, whose mouth was tugged downwards in a faint frown as he looked around the room to find Rhys' arm on its dock, small lights flashing on the forearm that indicated it was charging. That explained his mood.

"Rhys..."

"Everyone's just gonna see how much a freak I am. No big deal." Rhys laughed, but the sound was hollow. Unsurprisingly, this was a familiar topic between them.

"Bro, you know you're not though, right? You're like, the most normal guy at Hyperion." Rhys smiled at him and covered Vaughn's hand with his own, giving it a light squeeze. He had something similar back when they were eight, too, and again when they were twelve, fourteen, _twenty_.

Rhys sighed, turning more onto his side to face Vaughn, his shoulder and arm, or lack thereof, hidden by his blankets. Vaughn, being the best friend that he was, laid down next to Rhys, rubbing his flesh arm and moving until their foreheads were knocking together gently. Rhys closed his eyes and hummed, leaning into the contact.

"Are you going to take it with you?" Vaughn asked softly. Rhys was silent for a moment before he nodded, glancing at Vaughn with a questioning look. "Then just hit the people who stare at you with it until you start charging it. That'll get them to shut up and mind their own business."

Perhaps it was what Vaughn said, or the completely serious tone he delivered it with. Either way, Rhys started laughing, slowly at first, and then devolved into full on laughter, his eyes clenching shut as the bed shook with the force of it. Vaughn just smiled at him and moved back a little so Rhys wouldn't accidentally head butt him.

"And what about Jack?" Rhys finally asked after he calmed down, draping his arm over Vaughn's waist.

"Slap him with it, like a knight challenging someone to a duel."

_"Oh my god, Vaughn."_  

* * *

("Oh, and Vaughn?"

"Yeah, bro?"

Rhys' voice was quiet when he replied, frowning tugging at his lips.

"Can you help me tie my shoes?"

"You don't even have to ask.")

* * *

After sneaking through the house quietly, ( _"Athena and Janey are still sleeping, but everyone else left earlier,"_ Vaughn had told him, knowing Rhys would be uncomfortable with anyone other than him and Yvette seeing him minus an arm.) Vaughn and Rhys motored off to work, the silence in their car palatable. Vaughn drove that morning, leaving Rhys to rest his head against the window, ignoring the bumps in the road as they went that shifted his forehead on the glass. Rhys had stuffed his arm in his messenger bag as best as he could, but the top of the shoulder still peeked out and with its rather obvious coloring, there was no doubt that anyone would know what it was.

Halfway there, Vaughn had turned the radio on, thinking it might help to get Rhys' mind off of his current situation. Luckily, their usual station was playing music straight for an hour without interruptions from commercials, and a few of Rhys' favorite songs played as they continued their commute. Vaughn looked over at a him a few times, relieved to see a small smile on Rhys' lips, at the very least.

Rhys had his ECHO device in his lap, his left hand curled around the piece of tech as he idly tapped his thumb against the screen in time with the current song. The motion itself was a small nervous tick, one that didn't stop as they pulled into the parking structure and parked the car. With the engine off, the silence between them was stifling, and Rhys felt his nerves consume him once again.

Vaughn settled for tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, his eyes shifting between the wall they were parked in front of and Rhys sitting next to him. Another minute or two passed before anything happened, and it was the soft chirp of Rhys' ECHO that pulled them into motion. His eyes slid over the screen, brows furrowing together.

"It's from Jack."

His bespectacled friend frowned and hummed in response, turning to face Rhys. He reached over to poke at Rhys' hand, trying to smile in reassurance.

"Want me to read it?" Instead of verbally responding, Rhys just dropped his ECHO into Vaughn's waiting hand and wrapped his arm around his middle, fingers tapping out a rhythm along his side.

"...Jack's chat speak is atrocious."

That got a small laugh out of Rhys. He knew all too well just how terrible Jack was when it came to texting.

"And he wants you to bring up coffee, too."

Rhys huffed and took his ECHO back from Vaughn, typing a quick reply before he dropped the device into his bag. His mind was still focused on his missing limb, and what Jack would think about. Hell, Rhys didn't even know why he was worried most about what Jack thought or what he would say, but he kept thinking about it and dreading the confrontation. That, and he couldn't get Jack's actions from the previous day out of his head.

All the _touching_ and _grabbing_ and long heated looks at his neck.

Were they not going to talk about that? Was it not a _thing_ to be concerned about?

Rhys hadn't been focusing on the heat pressed to his side at the time, or how Jack's face had been centimeters from his own, but he _was_ hyper aware of it.That conversation with Michelson had seemed to last forever when Jack was plastered to his side, his hands tugging Rhys ever closer to him.

And then that hand on his neck?

God, Rhys could still feel the heat from Jack's palm.

* * *

His stomach was in knots the whole way up to Jack's office, made worse tenfold by the occasional stare he received and from the way the barista awkwardly offered him Jack's coffee when the order was ready. Rhys accepted it with a curt nod and left the area as quickly as he could, just in time to slip into an already occupied elevator before the doors closed all the way, and tried to keep his body angled in such a way that would draw attention away from his right side.

The elevator's other occupant didn't even look up from the file she was reading until the doors opened again five floors up, which Rhys was very thankful for, and he was able to enjoy the rest of the ride in solitude. He sagged against the wall behind him with a groan, jolting when he felt the strap of his bag slide down a little with the movement.

_Fucking Christ._  

In his hurry to meet Jack, he had forgotten to go by his own office to set up his arm up to charge. Rhys let his head fall back as his eyes looked towards the ceiling of the elevator as if he could see the machine getting closer and closer to Jack's floor. He had dawdled enough as it was. If he went down to his floor and then back up to Jack's now, Rhys was sure Jack would yell at him for actually being late. Sure, he had told him that there wasn't a rush, but you didn't take chances like that with Handsome Jack, not if you wanted to keep yourself in one piece.

(Figuratively, of course.)

The elevator came to a stop far too soon for Rhys' liking, with it doors sliding open and urging him to step out. Jack's floor was always empty, it seemed, with little sign of anyone else actually working up there. Which made sense, Rhys supposed. A CEO like Jack liked to have his space.

Stacey was there though, typing away at her desk, not even sparing Rhys a glance as she lifted one manicured hand to wave him into Jack's office. Still, Rhys found himself scurrying past, hoping her eyes didn't catch sight of his shoulder or the prosthetic still hanging out of his bag.

Jack was sitting at his desk when Rhys entered, angrily arguing with someone over the phone. When Jack saw him, he held up his hand to stop Rhys from coming any further as he continued the phone call, still spitting expletives at whomever was one the other side. Not wanting to chance Jack's temper at the moment, Rhys stayed where he was by the door, his flesh hand still curled around the disposable paper cup that held Jack's slowly cooling coffee.

He tried not to listen into his CEO's conversation, instead trying to keep his attention elsewhere, like looking for a socket to plug his charger into, but Rhys still heard certain key phrases.

Like _Maliwan_ and _corporate buyout_.

Holy _shit_.

Luckily, the call ended soon after Rhys came in, with Jack letting out a short, aggravated yell as he hung up the phone and slammed it back down on the receiver. Handsome Jack seemed to deflate in his chair, propping his elbows up on the desk and burying his face in his hands, groaning into them.

Unsure as to what he should do, Rhys just took a tentative step forward, and then took another, and one more when Jack didn't make a move to stop him.

"Um," Rhys fiddled with the coffee for a moment before he placed it in front of Jack. His now free hand grasped at the strap of his bag, fingers idly running over the fabric. "Here's your coffee. Jack, should I... Should I come back later? It's not a problem, really, I can just leave-"

"No."

"Sir?"

"Sorry, pumpkin. Just having a rough morning." _You're not the only one,_ Rhys thought bitterly. Jack leaned back in his chair and ran a hand through his hair, successfully ruining the style it was previously in. He had grabbed his coffee too, and took a long drink from it, his eyes running over Rhys' form as he did so. Automatically, Rhys shifted, pulling his right side out of focus as he trained his eyes on the surface of Jack's desk.

"Forget something last night?"

Teeth worrying at his bottom lip, Rhys shrugged, steadfastly ignoring all attempts Jack made to make eye contact with him and kicking the toe of his shoe against the flooring. He heard the leather of Jack's chair squeak as the CEO stood, and the soft thud of his boots against the floor, but he didn't expect the gentle hand on his shoulder urging him to turn and face his boss.

Rhys _definitely_  did't expect the look on Jack's face, either.

"What did I tell you about ruining my things, Rhys?" Even though the words invoked bad memories of the _Lab Incident_ , the expression on Jack's face was the complete opposite of what it was that morning. He looked... concerned?

No, it was probably just a trick of the light. Handsome Jack wasn't _worried_ about him.

Jack kept his hand on Rhys, ignoring the flinch when he ran it over the empty shoulder port where the cybernetic man's prosthetic should have been. Rhys was sure he felt sparks fly at the contact, and moved away from Jack as if struck by the man. To his surprise, Jack frowned at the movement, and shook his head at him.

"That means you too, Rhys. You're not a thing, but you are one of my most valuable employees and I can't have you falling into disrepair. Did you have a charger for that?" Jack gestured to the prosthetic still visibly peeking out from his bag, his mouth set in a thin line, the corners pulled downward just so.

"Y-yes, I was going to-"

"There's a couple of outlets on my desk. You can set it up there." Jack reached for him again, and when Rhys didn't back away this time, his hand curled around the junction where Rhys' neck met his shoulder. Again, Jack began rubbing circles into his skin, though he was somewhat hampered by the collar of his shirt.

"Jack?" Rhys asked tentatively, the hold on his bag's strap getting tighter with each passing second. Just what the hell was Jack playing at?

"Focus on me today, okay pumpkin? If you get some phantom pain you can't shake, let me know, but try to not think about it, yeah? I got some real important stuff I need to discuss with you."

Jack smiled at him then, and the look in his eyes was what some would call _soft_. Which was just _weird_ , because it was almost as if Jack was trying to comfort him, what with the gentle touches and kind words.

Rhys swallowed, throat suddenly dry and tongue like lead in his mouth. He felt something curl in his belly the longer he stared at Jack's smiling face, something dangerous and altogether _bad news_. The silence hung around them like fog on a early morning, and the moment seemed to drag on. What was the CEO doing to him?

"I'll try, Jack."


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long! This chapter was givin' me a whole bunch of trouble :o

The things that Jack wanted to talk about were... _trivial_  at best, and could have been saved for the upcoming quarterly review, though Rhys wasn't about to suggest waiting for that meeting to be around Jack. Not when-

Not when Jack kept touching him, and looking at him with softness in his gaze.

The contact was brief after that initial hand on Rhys' neck, with Jack placing a hand at the small of his back as they bent over Jack's desk going though documents on the computer, or a hand gently curled around his elbow when Jack led him back to the window in his office. It was all very disconcerting, but Rhys found himself reveling in the attention.

It was... nice? Confusing, definitely, and had Rhys buzzing in his skin and unsure what to do with it, but it was  _nice_.

Plus, it had the added bonus of distracting Rhys from the absence of a familiar weight on his right side. He hadn't given his arm much thought since Jack helped him with getting it docked on his desk, the CEO's attention drawing him away from it. That, and he was also actively trying not to think about it. Rhys caught brief glimpses on his prosthetic on the desk and each time it invoked that strange feeling in his gut. It wasn't hard to let Jack distract him from that.

The CEO donned his usual brash persona once the problem of Rhys' arm was handled, with his voice reverberating off the walls and seemingly filling the space. The more time Rhys spent around him, the more he realized that Jack was more than just a man. It wasn't as if he didn't already know that, what with working for Hyperion for nearly ten years, but it was something else to witness in person.

Jack Lawrence was an entire entity unto himself, able to command any space he was in with just the right infliction in his voice.

Rhys looked over at him, watching as Jack pointed out some flaws in a prototype's code on his desktop.

Yeah, Rhys could see how Handsome Jack had quickly rose to the top of the Hyperion food chain. It was almost insane to imagine Jack in any other position than the one he was currently in. Jack, as an intern? Or a code monkey like him? The thought was enough to make Rhys laugh.

Which he apparently did out loud, because suddenly Jack was narrowing his eyes at Rhys, hands planted firmly on the desk on either side of his keyboard.

"Something funny, sugarplum?"

"Uh-" Rhys panicked and quickly scanned the computer screen, looking for an excuse or something to distract Jack with, anything that wouldn't give away the fact that he hadn't been paying full attention to the matter at hand. "Just their ideas!"

Jack rose to his full height, arms crossed over his chest. Again, Rhys was just this much taller than Jack, so the CEO was peering up at him every so slightly, eyes still narrowed and accusing. Rhys glanced at the screen again, happy that he had at least one ear open when Jack was talking, and that he actually recognized the prototype plans displayed.

"I mean, what were they thinking? The coding they have for this model is obsolete compared to some of the other products Hyperion has launched within the past year alone. If we were to green light something like this, we'd probably be mocked by the competition. Um-" Jack's stance changed, less defensive and more relaxed, which in turn eased Rhys' own nerves.  _Thank god._ "In fact, I think I remember seeing Torgue release something like this a few months ago, which caused their stocks to plummet, if I recall correctly."

And he did. Vaughn had been talking non-stop about it when it happened. Torgue's last big launch was proving to be a hot topic around the office water coolers even now, especially in his department and down in R&D, but he didn't expect to see something so similar appear in documents waiting for Jack's approval.

It sure as hell saved his ass, though.  _God bless._

"Hmm." Jack turned back to the screen with a thoughtful frown, giving Rhys an opportunity to release the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Well shit," The CEO spat out after several more seconds of scanning the documents. "Whoever tried to pass off Torgue's shitty plans as Hyperion originals is dead  _friggin'_ meat. There's gotta be a name somewhere..."

Rhys could see Jack clicking through document, searching for the names of those who were associating themselves with the project. For a brief moment, Rhys actually felt sorry for whoever published the plans for green lighting, but the more rational part of his mind took over. If someone was going to honestly try to pass along another company's failed plans, even with heavy edits and changes to the original, just to try to get a leg up in Hyperion, then they deserved whatever Jack had planned for them.

"There we go!" Jack pointed at the screen with a triumphant grin, his fingertip pressing on the monitor and causing the color around it to ripple slightly. Just above his finger, Rhys saw the names of three different people who were taking credit for this stunt and who were unknowingly waiting their doom. The department head even recognized one as an employee on his own floor, but the other two were R&D members as far as he could tell. Rhys straightened up, tugging at his shirt collar.

"What are you gonna do to them?" Rhys asked somewhat hesitantly. Even if Jack didn't tell him straight up, Rhys would probably hear about their fates eventually. Such was the web of gossip that thrived in office environments.

"What are we gonna do to them, you mean." Jack flashed a rather smug grin at his companion, hands on his hips and striking a pose not unlike those on his motivational posters.

"Um,  _what?_ "

Honestly, Rhys thought he deserved some kind of award for his excellent speaking skills.

" _'Um, what?'_  " Jack shot back at him, voice pitched to imitate Rhys', not unlike the first time Jack called him up to his office. "I'm calling these idiots up here and we're gonna fire their asses.  _Together_. It's gonna be great, kiddo." Handsome Jack placed one hand on his desk again, the other still firmly planted on his hip, and leaned into Rhys' space for the umpteenth time that day. The grin on his face was  _dirty_ , his eyes hiding absolutely  _none_  of his excitement at the prospect of the fucked up  _bonding time_  he was proposing. Rhys found himself leaning back before he even realized it, and felt heat on his cheeks. God, he was weak.

But that didn't change the feeling of dread that settled in his stomach at Jack's proposal. He was not facing anyone else while his arm laid charging on the desk, not even a handful of people who wouldn't remain in the company long enough to sneer at Rhys for being handicapped.

"Yeah, no, Jack." Rhys peered at the screen again, taking note of the Robotics employee, then looked back to Jack. He was nervous about putting his foot down on this matter, but he would not let anyone else see him like this. Rhys turned slightly from Jack, again taking to putting his left side in focus instead of his right. Jack caught the motion easily. "I'll take care of Roberts when I go back down since he's in my department and is my responsibility, but I won't stand here and watch you terminate the others when it's not my place."

Rhys' voice  _did not_  waver and tremble, thank you.

(Okay it did, but just a tiny bit. Promise.)

There was an instant change in Jack's demeanor. It was in the way his shoulders went stiff, and how the grin on his face shifted into something not unlike an animal baring its teeth. Oh, Jack was still smiling, but it wasn't jovial. The hand he had on the desk twitched, his fingers curling into a fist, and Rhys found himself taking a step back. Then, Jack's eyes roamed over his shoulder again, and his mockery of a smile relaxed into something neutral. Rhys, for his part, couldn't help the flinch as Jack focused on him, even though he literally just witnessed Jack go from calm and collected to subtly enraged and back again.  _  
_

That wasn't something Rhys wanted to see again.

"Ruin all my fun, why don't you." Jack straightened up and ran a hand through his hair, expelling a weary breath as he did so before he leaned forward to press a button on his landline phone. "Stacey, babe, contact uhhhh," He looked at the documents still open on the screen, skimming through to find the names he'd already apparently forgotten. "Contact Jones and Hernandez from R&D and let them know that I want them in my office in an hour, no excuses."

"Jack, I just said-" Rhys snapped his mouth shut when Jack held up a single finger to him and clenched his flesh hand at his side, watching as Jack hung up on his secretary without so much as a goodbye or a thank you.

" _You_ won't be here in an hour, cupcake."

"So then we're done here?"

"Ah, ah, ah." Jack wagged the same finger in front of Rhys' face, his lips twisting into a smirk. "I didn't say that, either. I still have a few things to go over with you. First," Rhys made a face as Jack continued, but any objections were silenced with a hard look from his boss. "There will be someone from R&D coming up to your office tomorrow to hammer out some final details on your upgrades."

Rhys' eyes widened in surprise. He had completely forgotten about those. His supposed upgrades were half the reason why he even went down to R&D in the first place, and nearly had his head bitten off when Jack found out about his joints and hardware. Was Jack really still going to do that for him? 

"Second, I need to talk to you about Angel." Jack's face lost any hint of mirth it had, replaced by a serious expression that was somehow so uncharacteristic of Jack, though it wasn't new. It was the same seriousness Jack emanated when he offered such a gentle hand to Rhys earlier that morning, and for some reason it made something churn in Rhys' gut. Hesitation blanketed his next words, his hand running down his front to smooth out imaginary wrinkles from his shirt and vest.

"Did something happen with her?"

Silence was his answer as Jack gazed at him, lips pressed into a thin line and brows knitted together as Jack contemplated something. The lack of response was making Rhys antsy, his fingers twitching at his side. Something must have changed his mind, because Jack was waving him off and sitting himself down in his chair, swiveling around until he was turned away from Rhys, mood and demeanor nonchalant compared to just before.

"Nah, never mind, it can wait." Again, Jack leaned forward until he was pressing buttons on his phone, calling Stacey once more. "Hey princess, tell those dumbfucks to hustle. My schedule just cleared up."

Rhys fidgeted by the desk, unsure as to what that meant exactly. Was Jack dismissing him just like that?

"You can't just mention Angel and not-" Jack swiveled around to meet him again, hands clenched around both armrests as he reclined in his chair. 

"Sorry, is she your daughter?" Rhys opened his mouth to answer, the startled syllables on the tip of his tongue when Jack cut him off. "Answer's no, pumpkin. Like I said, it can wait. And since you want to be a goddamn party pooper, you gotta go. Don't want your delicate sensibilities to be ruined, now do we? So pop your arm back on and get the hell out of my office.  _Now_ we're done."

Rhys didn't waste any time in disconnecting his arm (which thankfully received more than half of its full charge) and hurrying to the office doors, his prosthetic cradled to his chest after he slung his bag over his shoulder. He fumbled a bit, off-balance and tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away from Jack, but luckily he caught himself in time and grasped at the door handle, pausing to turn back towards Jack.

"Sorry if I was an inconvenience,  _sir._ "

* * *

Outside of Jack's office, Rhys found a bathroom he could duck into and quickly took off his upper layers to dock his prosthetic into his shoulder port. There was a murmur of static in his ears as his arm calibrated and connected to his ECHO eye, the two systems linking up and providing the connections and power Rhys would need to control the arm. Once all the start up sequences were finished, Rhys flexed his fingers and turned his arm this way and that, making sure everything connected properly. With a sigh, he dressed again and slipped out the bathroom, giving Jack's secretary polite wave goodbye despite the sneer that seemed to be permanently plastered to her face whenever Rhys was around.

The ride back down to his own floor was quiet due to the elevator being empty, which he was eternally grateful for, and no one gave him a sideways glance as he quietly entered his own office with a heavy sigh. Rhys leaned back against his office door once he closed it, sagging against the wood and letting the strap of his bag slip off his shoulder, resulting in his bag dropping to the floor. 

He just wasn't in the mood, honestly, so Rhys stepped over his bag as he walked into his desk, sinking into his chair with a weary groan.

Just what the hell was with Jack that the morning? His mood swings happened faster than a monsoon on the river, coming and going in a matter of seconds. And what about Angel? What had Jack wanted to tell him for that split second?

Groaning in frustration, Rhys ran both his hands up his face and through his hair, leaning forward until his elbows rested on his knees as he held his head in his hands. Handsome Jack was good CEO, that was something no one could deny, not with all the solid proof he provided of his expertise, but  _god_  was that man  _fucking awful_  at being a human being.

And to think Rhys thought that they were having a moment earlier! With all the  _touching_ and  _looks_ Jack kept shooting him.

"Ohhhh my  _god,_ " Rhys leaned forward more, rolling his chair closer to his desk so that he could drop his head onto its surface. "What the  _fuck._ " _  
_

He must have stayed like that for some time, because by the time Rhys was able to pull himself up and start his computer to try to get some work done, Vaughn was texting him and asking if they were going to meet for lunch that day. To be frank, the last thing he wanted to do at the moment was converse and interact with other people, but he owed Vaughn. The man had tied Rhys' shoes for fuck's sake, he deserved a lunch buddy who could at least put on a brave face after whatever the fuck just happened in Jack's office. Steeling himself for the next thirty minutes of stuffing food in his mouth and making small talk, Rhys tapped out an affirmative response to Vaughn and stood, walking over and bending down to grab his wallet from his bag before he left his office. 

Another elevator ride and soon he would be joining Vaughn, but before the elevator could reach its destination, it stopped a few floors above Accounting to let someone else on. Rhys paid them little mind, eyes glued to the screen on his ECHO again, until the person spoke, and Rhys couldn't help but think that their voice sounded familiar.

" _Shit,_ you're going down, aren't you? I'm really I'm just in a bit of hurry to uh, go  _up,_ you know? Didn't even look to see which way this one was going,  _oh man._ I'm uh, rambling a bit, aren't I? Sorry, sorry..." Despite the person's words, Rhys still saw him step into the elevator, probably too awkward to wait for the next one. He looked up from his phone fully intent on putting on a fake smile to lie through his teeth and tell the person  _no, it's perfectly okay that you're making things ten times harder for me right now,_ but the words died in his throat the minute he locked eyes with the new passenger.

From the swirl of his hair to the tip of his shoes, the rambling person looked  _exactly_ like Handsome Jack. Even the godawful yellow sweater he wore was reminiscent of the one people had seen Jack wear under his suit jacket on occasion, and one glance at his shoes revealed that yes, even their disgusting choice in footwear for a corporate environment was the same. _  
_

Judging by the way this lookalike's eyes were traveling up and down Rhys' own form, he was taking him all in too, but with a blush that was steadily increasing in intensity across his cheeks.

(Take that, alliteration!) 

Rhys was still too shell-shocked by being faced with a stumbling, rambling,  _blushing_ Jack that he couldn't even open his own mouth to spit out a witty line like  _"Take a picture, it'll last longer,"_ but that wasn't actually witty past the age of ten and Rhys was pretty sure he'd twist his own words with how tongue-tied he was feeling right now. His newest elevator companion however, successfully gained the use of his tongue, but the words that fell out of his mouth left much to be desired in way of subtlety.   _  
_

"Oh  _wow._ Oh uh,  _J_ _esus_ you're pretty, did you know that? Like,  _really pretty._  I mean handsome! Attractive? Just, good looking.  _Ha haaa_ , god I'm just gonna stand over here, and try not to um,  _stare."_ He then squeezed himself into a corner closest to the elevator door and furthest from Rhys, pressing the button for Jack's floor as he did and nervously pulling at the collar of his sweater.

Rhys' first thought after that outburst was that it definitely boosted his confidence levels, especially after leaving his house that morning feeling like shit. Then, Rhys decided that this man could in no way be Handsome Jack in any shape or form. Jack just wasn't that good of an actor. Thirdly,  _oh no he's cute_ briefly floated through his head, and then Rhys' last thought was of the panic he felt when he still blurted out:

" _Jack?!_ " 

And subsequently regretted it as the man's face went through various emotions, most notably  _surprise, realization,_ and  _resignation._

"Timothy, actually." He said as he scratched the back of his neck, and  _fuck_  he even had the same wrist tattoo as Jack. Rhys realized now that this Timothy didn't have the scar across his face like Jack did, which he just didn't notice before as he focused on the man's intense blushing, but like Jack, he did have one green eye and one blue, which were currently going between Rhys' face and the elevator floor.

Human cloning wasn't scientifically possible yet, was it?

(Then again, this was  _Hyperion,_ where Handsome Jack could literally try to make anything possible. Rhys wasn't going to rule out cloning just yet, to be quite honest.)

"Jack's twin?" Timothy spoke, the words coming out hesitant with a smile that tilted to the left as he shrugged his shoulders.

(So their mother, god rest her soul, cloned them in the womb. Kinda. Still science-y enough for Rhys, so it counted. Look, he didn't major in biology for a reason, okay?)

"Oh." 

Fuck Rhys, _seriously?_

"I mean, god, uh nice to meet you, I'm Rhys." He held out his prosthetic for him to shake, and absolutely didn't flinch at the long stare Timothy aimed at it. "I've actually been working closely with your brother for a few weeks."

Timothy scoffed, his hesitant smile morphing into something more fluid and easy as he shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned back against the elevator wall. Rhys looked up at the floor counter just above Timothy's head, slightly disappointed to find that Vaughn's floor was next. 

"Good luck with that," Timothy shifted, still giving off nervous vibes despite his change in body language that seemed to be more casual.  _Pretty people_ do that you to, Rhys supposed, and then immediately grinned to himself because this man had called him  _attractive._ "Jack's hard enough to-" _  
_

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by the elevator chiming, alerting both men that one of their rides had come to a stop. Suddenly feeling awkward in his own right, Rhys offered Timothy a shy smile as he walked out of the elevator, raising his hand in a half-assed wave.

"It was very nice to meet you, Timothy." Rhys stopped just outside the elevator doors, taking note of the way Timothy immediately put his hand on the door jam to stop them from closing too soon.

"Yeah, uh, same to you? I'm sorry about that stuff I said when I got in, I just uh-" Rhys laughed, cutting off Timothy and causing the man to flush again.

"It's fine. It was sweet. Maybe I'll see you... _around_." He gestured to the entire building with his hand, eyes briefly pointing up to indicate Jack's office. If he was still going to be in relative close contact with Jack both at work and at home, Rhys was sure he'd meet the twin again. 

"Yeah. Oh yeah! That'd be nice, I think." 

Another smile and wave sent Timothy's way, and Rhys left the blushing man in the elevator, probably imagining the whispered  _Marry me_ as he walked away.

If only Jack was that sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, Timothy/Rhys is not going to be a thing. That's for other fics.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this has taken so long, and I'm sorry I don't have much to show for it!
> 
> But some bad news: For the next few weeks/months, updates will be really, really slow. I recently became employed and because of the nature of the job, I'm out of town from Monday mornings to Saturday nights, and I'm staying in a hotel during all that. WiFi at the hotel sucks, and I don't bring my laptop with me bc 1) I don't want it to get damaged and 2) by the time I get off of work, I have roughly three hours to get ready for the next day and do paperwork. I have to be in bed and ready to sleep by 7:30 in order to get a full eight hours of sleep, so I really don't have time to write. 
> 
> Good news tho: I'm in construction and my company has a Union customer at the moment, meaning they don't work during Christmas time, so I'll be off from Dec. 23rd to Jan. 4th, so I should be able to crank out another chapter or two before I go back to work in the new year.

When the doors to Jack's office opened again, he was already geared up to start spitting insults are the R&D techs who tried to get shitty prototypes approved and in production, but his would-be tirade was cut short when his twin entered instead. Immediately, Jack's scowl turned into a wide grin that stretched from ear to ear, whereas Timothy just sent him a dopey smile.

Yeah, okay, that was _weird._

_Anyway-_

"Timmy! Always nice to see my big brother completely surprise me with a visit!" Jack had already sprinted from behind his desk to go up to Timothy, ignoring the quiet protests from his twin as he wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug.

Tim was his favorite sibling, okay? (His _only_ sibling, but hey, it still counted.)

"Jack, you _asked_ me to come up today. I even specifically remember you telling me to dress like _this_ , too." Timothy waved a hand down his front, gesturing to the get up that matched Jack's. They stopped doing the twin thing ages ago. As a matter of fact, they stopped around the same time Jack got his scar, which kinda ruined the fun of making people confused by their appearances, but Jack still insisted on having Tim dress up when he visited Hyperion.

"Yeah, yeah. Did anyone freak out on your way up? You stopped on a couple of random floors, right? Like I asked?"

Timothy sighed, giving his brother a deadpan look, and nodded his head.

"Someone on the ground floor dropped their coffee that they just purchased, and a few interns tripped over each other and ran into a door jamb." The older twin rolled his eyes as Jack laughed and followed him back to his desk, where Jack took Timothy by the shoulders and sat him down in his executive chair.

"Good, good." Jack said as he leaned on the chair, his hands on the armrests, successfully blocking Timothy in. "Gotta instill a little fear in these guys, keep them on their toes and all that. I mean, I do a damn fine job of that already, but-"

"Oh!" Timothy exclaimed, a light blush dusting his cheeks as that dopey friggin' smile came back onto his face. Jack narrowed his eyes at him, one eyebrow arched as he waited for his brother to continue.

"I met someone in the elevator on the way up." Timothy leaned one elbow on the armrest and propped his cheek on his fist, smiling at nothing in particular as he recalled the encounter in the elevator. "He was so cute, and so sweet. Ohhh I just wanna ruin him."

"Okay first off, _ew_. I don't want to hear about my brother _ruining_ anyone." Jack stood up straight, crossing his arms over his chest. "Second off, last I checked you were into women who could probably kill you with one manicured hand tied behind their backs."

"Nisha could kill me with _both_ hands tied behind her back and I would _thank_ her. Besides, you know gender is a non-issue with me, and I know _you_ are about as straight as a circle." Timothy countered, looking up at Jack with something akin to amusement.

"Jesus Christ, alright. Now is this guy someone you're planning on bringing home for Christmas or no? Because Angel is starting to get worried that you're going to die alone, Timmy."

Timothy laughed nervously, his blush increasing tenfold as he scratched the back of his neck. He leaned back further into Jack's chair and even started twirling it around slowly, ignoring the eyeroll Jack gave him at the childish display. Timothy let the chair go one full, slow rotation before he stopped it, facing Jack once again with a grin on his face and eyes shifting from his lap to Jack's face.

"I mean, maybe? I- _God_ , I wouldn't mind, you know? If I see him again, I might ask for his number or invite him out for coffee, and see where it goes from there? He had the prettiest lips, too. Hard to resist and all that."

"Yeah?" Jack asked, only mildly curious about this guy who caught his brother's eye so easily. Then again, nearly _everyone_ caught Timothy's eye, but still. "What's his name?"

At that, Timothy laughed softly, still smiling. "He had such a unique name, one that's hard to forget. It was _Rhys_." Timothy didn't see the way Jack froze since he was fiddling with his hands in his lap. "I think he even mentioned working with you recently? So you probably-"

"No."

Jack's tone had Timothy looking up at him in shock, the smile dropping off his face immediately at his brother's expression. "E-excuse me?"

"I said no." _Fuck, what was he doing_ , Jack thought to himself as he turned away from Timothy's confused expression to walk to his office window again. "Rhys is...off limits."

" _Off limits_? Jack, what the hell are you talking about?" Timothy swiveled the chair towards the window and jumped up from it, striding over to where Jack stood. Jack didn't look at his twin until Timothy boldly stood right in his line of sight.

"He's busy with work projects, he doesn't have time for a relationship right now." It was a bullshit excuse. Jack knew it and so did Timothy. His twin stared at him for a few seconds, the time seeming like an eternity as Jack waited for Timothy to say something. Finally, Timothy opened his mouth, first to gasp in poorly concealed surprise and then to actually speak.

"You _like_ him." Tim poked Jack's chest, hard, and continued. "You like Rhys and you're pulling that same bullcrap you used to years ago."

Jack huffed and slapped Timothy's hand away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You did this with Nisha, and then again with Moxxi-"

"Yeah okay _fine_ , but then Nisha dumped me for _you_ , which I still can't believe."

" _Oh my god_ , let that go, Jack. It's been like five years, and in case you forgot, Nisha ditched  _both_ of us for _Moxxi_ after that."

"I heard her and Mox are tying the knot pretty soon. I got an invite." Jack grinned, not so subtly trying to sway the conversation into more comfortable waters. Timothy saw right through that, too, and thumped his fist against Jack's chest, causing his twin to scowl at him.

"So did I, but stop avoiding the subject. You like Rhys and you don't want me to have him, or at least try to get his attention."

Jack didn't say anything in response, and instead stomped off to his chair and dramatically dropped down into it, kicking his feet up on the desk and crossing his arms over his chest. His expression was pinched in a way that Timothy recognized, and he knew his brother was battling with his own thoughts at the moment. Tim walked over to his brother's desk and hopped up on the surface of it, clasping his hands together in his lap as he regarded Jack.

"I don't like him," Jack said finally, voice quiet. "He's a good employee and he's useful, but I don't like him."

"I know you, Jack, and I know that you're a filthy liar, but _fine_. Keep telling yourself that." Timothy nudged Jack's leg with his knee, earning a small glare in response. "And I'll let you try your luck with him, but don't mess this kid up, Jackson."

That got a laugh out of Jack. " _Jackson_? Ohhh, what did I do to get my big brother all riled up?"

"Rhys seems like a really sweet guy, Jack. If you stop lying to yourself and decide to pursue him, I don't want to find out that you hurt him." Timothy nudged him again, this time hard enough to knock Jack's feet off of the desk, causing him to sit up properly in his chair.

"I already told you, _I don't like Rhys_."

"Then why did you tell me he's off limits?" This time it was Timothy who crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at Jack with a hard expression. Jack swallowed thickly and looked away.

"Like I said, he's busy-"

"The _real_ reason." Tim put his foot on Jack's knee, stopping the CEO from swiveling away from his twin. Jack still avoided Tim's gaze, however, with his eyes focused on his brother's shoe, instead.

"I..." Jack balled up his fists, brows knitting together in frustration. "I don't friggin' know, okay! I barely even know the kid! I mean, he's easy on the eyes, that I will admit, but I don't _like_ him, damn it."

Silence reigned between the brothers after that, with Timothy letting his leg go limp, his foot falling from Jack's knee and swinging from the desk. Jack leaned back into his chair, running a hand over his face and through his hair as he sighed heavily, avoiding Timothy's gaze for as long as he could. The silence was broken by Jack's landline buzzing, Stacey's voice coming over the comm and announcing that the R&D techs had finally made it to his office.

Jack looked at the phone and then finally at Timothy who still sat on his desk, now twiddling his thumbs in his lap.

"I gotta fire these assclowns. Are you staying?"

"Only if you buy me lunch afterwards."

"What kinda of guy would I be if I let my brother go hungry?"

* * *

After collecting Vaughn from his cubicle in Accounting, Rhys and Vaughn headed to the cafeteria to pick up their food and grabbed a table in the corner where it was relatively secluded. Around them, some people sat alone, furiously typing on laptops and tablet screens to finish up last minute projects before their lunch break was over, while others sat in groups of two or more to have actual friendly conversations before they had to get back to the daily grind. Once they were settled, Vaughn wasted no time to ask Rhys how his latest meeting with Jack went.

"Well," Rhys started, talking around a bite of his sandwich before he swallowed it. "It was okay, at first. Kinda pointless to me because it could have waited until the quarterly review, but I don't know why Jack was so insistent on getting the information right then and there.

"Then we got on the topic of some blueprints he was sent to review and possibly approve for production, but I noticed that they were knock offs of one of Torgue's busted products and told Jack, who then proceeded to call up the three people responsible."

"You mean you _watched_ Handsome Jack _fire_ someone?" Vaugh said after he chugged down at least half of his water bottle. Rhys shook his head, taking another bite of his sandwich and swallowing before he continued.

"No, but hold on, that reminds me." Rhys took out his ECHO and opened up his memo pad, jotting down a note to himself to speak with Roberts when he got back to his office. "I told him I'd fire the one from my department, but I wouldn't stand in on someone else's business when I had nothing to do with them. He basically told me to leave after that."

"Just like that?" Vaughn asked, tilting his head to the side and readjusting his glasses.

"Well, _no_ , there was some other words exchanged, but afterwards, yes."

"Hm." Vaughn finished up his own meal and wiped his face free of any crumbs or drops of sauce, then gestured to Rhys. "When did you find time to charge it?"

"Wha-? Oh, um," Rhys rubbed his prosthetic, looking down at the table for a moment before shrugging. "Jack was really understanding about it? I don't know, man, it was kinda freaking me out, how nice he was being and all. He let me hook it up to a port in his desk while we went over stuff."

"Handsome Jack? _Nice_? Those are two things I'd never would have thought of going together."

"I know, bro, trust me. Jack was almost being _gentle_ with me until we started disagreeing about the whole Torgue-prototype issue." The cybernetic man pushed his lunch tray away, instead propping his elbows up on the table and hanging his head in his hands, thoroughly confused the more he thought about Jack.

"And then as I was coming down to get you, I ran into his brother in the elevator."

Vaughn squawked, the noise drawing attention of a few people who were sitting close by to them, and Rhys rushed to quiet his friend with a hand over his mouth, shushing him with a slightly panicked expression.

"Dude!"

"Sorry," Vaughn said in a whisper as Rhys lowered his hand. "Jack has a _brothe_ r? How did we not know this? We've been working here for a _decade_ , we should know this."

"Vaughn, I'm pretty sure more than half of the people who work here still don't know that Handsome Jack's last name is _Lawrence_ , much less that he has a twin brother."

"A _twin_!" Vaughn squawked again, giving Rhys an apologetic look when he once again covered his mouth up.

"Are you gonna stop?" Rhys' hand still covered his mouth, so Vaughn just nodded, apologizing again when Rhys removed his hand. "Look I know it's a surprise, but maybe Jack doesn't make it public knowledge for a reason? Like with his last name, or that fact that he as a daughter? We didn't even know about her until _we moved in_ next to them, and that was by accident!"

At some point while Rhys was going off, Vaughn's attention had shifted from his best friend to the entrance of the cafeteria. Most of the other occupants were also focused on that spot, and it took Rhys a moment to figure out why. At the entrance of the cafeteria, Handsome Jack stood with his brother. The former of the two was grinning wildly, waving at a few employees who openly gaped at the pair, while Timothy rolled his eyes at his brother's antics.

Vaughn turned back to Rhys looking frazzled. "What was that you were saying about not making it public knowledge?"

* * *

"You do realize that your little game of scaring your minions is ruined now, right? They're not going to fall for it as easily, Jack." Beside him, Jack just laughed, causing a few people to move further away from them.

"And when I said buy me lunch, I was thinking more along the lines of that Italian place down the street."

Jack clapped his hand down on Timothy's shoulder, ignoring his brother's slight wince as he led him over to one of the lunch lines, immediately bypassing the entire line to cut to the front. Timothy said nothing as Jack ordered similar things for the both them.

"I'll put some special effects make-up on you next time, give ya one of these," Jack gestured to his scar. "But without all the pain and screaming. Besides, I gotta rub elbows with these losers sometimes, promotes some stupid notion that I'm no better than them and all that. I can easily _get on their level_ , as my PR agent says."

"Jack," Timothy said as he grabbed the tray from the kitchen aide, nodding in thanks before continuing. "The only person in this entire building who knows you're not better than him is _me_. None of your employees would ever believe that you'd actually step down off your high horse."

"Speaking of horses, did you know Butt Stallion had a baby? Real beauty. I was thinking of putting the little thing into training to become a show pony."

"Please stop changing the subject." Timothy shrugged, looking down at his plate with a small smile. "But how cute is the foal? Does Angel like it?"

"Now who's changing the subject?" Jack grinned at his twin, nudging him with his elbow as he chuckled. Timothy rolled his eyes and shared a smile with his brother, following him over to an empty table. It was previously occupied, but as soon as the occupants saw Jack walk over, they had made haste to vacate the area.

How nice of them.

* * *

"So, Vaughn!" Rhys said, eyes wide and panicked, completely opposite to the grin he was wearing. "I forgot that I have a _huge_ report to finish back at my office. Lunch has been a real treat, let me tell you, but I think I gotta go."

Rhys got up from the table, angling himself away from the brothers' line of sight and making sure his face wasn't visible to them. He slouched a little bit too, so that his height wouldn't make him as noticeable when he stood. It wasn't so much that he thought he was important enough to warrant their attention, but Rhys did just have very odd encounters with both of them, and he didn't want to push his luck.

Vaughn looked up at thim, already nodding along and wearing the same panicked expression. Across the cafeteria, many people were in the same boat, though only a few were making an effort to leave the presence of Handsome Jack and his twin.

"Oh yeah! You know what, me too! It's best that we both get out of here and back to work as soon as possible."

"Quite right!" Rhys smiled at Vaughn, making small motions with his hands to signal Vaughn to _hurry the hell up_. The shorter male nodded again and got up, and both of them hurried out of the cafeteria, keeping their heads low all the way to the elevator. They didn't dare breathe again until the metal doors closed and the machine began its ascent to their respective floors.

"What do you think is gonna happen now?" Vaughn asked, adjusting his glasses as he looked up at Rhys, who was leaning against the elevator wall.

"What, now that Jack has a twin? Honestly, I don't think it's gonna change much of anything." Rhys shrugged, sticking his hands in his pockets and taking a deep breath. His stupid heart was still pounding in his chest.

"No I mean, at home? Do you think he's gonna have his brother over?"

"I don't know. Maybe? I don't see how that would affect us though. It won't make Jack any worse, if that's what you're asking. Timothy seems like he would be the voice of reason out of the two. He'd probably be a good influence on Jack's _neighborly_ personality." Rhys hooked his fingers as he said _neighborly_ , putting air quotes around the word. Jack was just _peachy_ , a real fine example of a decent human being.

"Timothy?" Vaughn questioned.

Rhys shrugged in response. "Yeah, Timothy."

"Handsome Jack and _Timothy_."

"Yep."

Vaughn was silent for a minute, not making a move as the elevator stopped at his floor and opened with a hiss.

"Huh."


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE UST, IT BEGINS
> 
> Also, super important shout out to [ichikun](http://ichikun.tumblr.com) for helping me with the Spanish translations!!!

Things around the house were just _this_ side of strange after Rhys and Vaughn learned of the existence of Handsome Jack's older twin, Timothy. Whereas the two Hyperion underlings thought the presence of his brother would mellow Jack at home and outside of the office, it seemed to do the exact opposite. Having two of them around only made their neighbors more wary, more suspicious of Jack and his family, as if they thought Timothy would just as much of a trouble-maker and eyesore that Jack was.

For this reason, Rhys noticed, Jack seemed to keep Timothy away from their neighbors, probably to keep them from finding out what a sweetheart Timothy actually was.

Which led to Tim being around Rhys' place with Angel in tow. The young Lawrence came by more often after their Bunkers & Badasses session, either seeking sanctuary or just to hang out with them, which none of the inhabitants minded, and minded even less when Timothy was there to act as her guardian for the time being. Both were spoiled rotten by Rhys, who cooked dinner for everyone when they gathered together and sent them home with leftovers.

(Angel later told him that both her and Timothy forbid Jack from eating any of the leftovers, and apparently told him that if he wanted Rhys' home cooked meals, he'd have to come over and get one himself. Timothy seemed to get some vindictive joy out of this.)

But life was moving on, Athena and Vaughn cooked popcorn to watch Jack get in verbal arguments with the neighbors, Angel frequently kicked everyone's ass in Mario Kart, and Rhys exchanged recipes with Timothy over glasses of wine when the elder twin decided to poke his head in.

True to his word, Jack had sent someone up to Rhys to finalize the details for his cybernetics upgrade the day after their meeting, prompting Rhys to wonder just when he'd see the final result. The days ticked by slowly with the end of the week steadily approaching, and already the upcoming event of that Friday night had slipped Rhys' mind.

* * *

"Uh." Rhys stared at Jack who stood on his porch holding some tin-covered dish. Rhys' eyes darted from Jack's face to the dish in his hands, at a loss as to what he was supposed to do.

"You really have a way with words, don't you, gingersnap? You gonna let me in or what?"

"Jack, what are you-"

"I'm starvin', pumpkin. Come on, let's go. Dinner tonight, remember?"

"Shit," Rhys gulped and looked over his shoulder to find Angel, who had come over not even an hour earlier on her own. She looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on her face and she groaned. Rhys was feeling much the same, having forgotten that self-invite Jack threw at him days prior after discussing the legality of beekeeping.

_Well fuck._

"Come in, I guess...?" Rhys let go of the door jamb and pulled the door open wider for Jack, who strode in like he owned the place and dumped the dish in Rhys' hands, and Rhys closed the door with his foot. Before Jack could open his mouth again, Rhys took him by the elbow (holy _fuck_ he's gonna get himself killed) and led him to the living room where Athena was spread out on the couch, her head in Janey's lap and her feet in Vaughn's as the three of them watched a shitty B-List movie on Netflix.

"Hey guys, uh," They looked up at Rhys and Jack, and aside from Vaughn coughing on his own spit at the sight of Handsome Jack, they were silent as they waited for Rhys to continue. "Athena, you already know him, and Vaughn, you too? Kinda... Anyway, this is Jack from next door. He'll be joining us for dinner tonight. Jack, this is Janey, Athena, and Vaughn, my roommates."

Janey only half counted because of how often she crashed with Athena, but she didn't pay rent or you know, _actually live there_ , so she didn't really count, but Jack didn't need to know any of that.

"Sup." Jack gave them a two fingered salute, his posture relaxed and giving off an air of just not caring, like he was _too cool_ for everything around him. Rhys scrunched up his nose at the display and went off to the kitchen, prompting Angel to follow him as her father made room for himself on the couch, much to the chagrin of its occupants.

"Rhys!" Angel hissed out in a whisper, looking frantically in the direction of the living room. "I'm so sorry! I totally forgot that he wanted to come over tonight."

Rhys groaned and set the dish on the island, scurrying about the kitchen to grab ingredients for their meal. Angel, bless her soul, helped too, grabbing a few pots and pans and setting them on the stove with a few non-verbal directions from Rhys.

"No, no, it's fine. With everything that's been happening at work this week, _I_ forgot too. Ah hell," Rhys said as he opened the fridge, expression tight as he saw their lack of alcoholic beverages aside from wine coolers. "Jack said something about having wine or beer for him. By the way," Rhys turned from the fridge to point at the foil covered dish on the island, staring at it like it would come to life at any moment.

"What is _that._ " Angel looked to the covered bowl on the island and gave a shrug.

" 'Dunno. Did dad bring it?"

"He just kinda shoved it in my hands when he came in, no explanation for it." Rhys grabbed a few things from the fridge as Angel started to uncover the bowl, and tried to beat down the feeling of unease that cropped up. It was still weird to think that Handsome Jack would willingly procreate, alright? With his back turned, he didn't see the excited expression bloom across Angel's face, or the finger she snuck in to get a taste of the dish.

"So _that's_ why he was holed up in the kitchen this afternoon!"

"Wait, Jack can cook?" Rhys peeked over his shoulder at her, catching a glimpse of her face, which just piqued his curiosity and had him turning back around. "He's not trying to poison us, is he?"

"Yes he can, and no," Angel laughed softly, uncovering the dish fully and gently pushing it across the island to Rhys who looked at it with trepidation. "It's not poison. He made _arroz con leche._ "

The fluency with which the syllables floated off of Angel's tongue surprised Rhys, and he gave her a confused look in turn before looking back down at the now uncovered dish. If Rhys was being absolutely honest with himself, it looked like undercooked rice with too much butter or milk, but it smelled _sweet,_ and he could see cinnamon mixed in with it and sprinkled generously on top. He couldn't for the life of him tell what it was, however.

"Alright," He said, straightening up and crossing his arms. "I give, what is this?"

Angel ignored him in favor of digging around in the kitchen drawers to find a spoon (she'd been over often enough to be able to navigate the space), and offered it to him with a smile and a nod.

"Like I said, _arroz con leche._ Literally translates to rice with milk, but it's rice pudding. Try it, Rhys. _Mí papá hace un arroz con leche fantástico._ He'll make a lighter version for breakfast sometimes, but this one is a dessert."

"I'm just, going to...put aside your surprising fluency in Spanish for a moment and...yeah." Rhys took the spoon from her, steadfastly ignoring the amused snort Angel gave him, and scooped up a spoonful of the goopy dish, giving Angel one last look before he finally tried it.

It was _delicious_ , creamy and sweet with just enough hints of citrus to not be overpowering. The spoonful he took had raisins in it too, which gave the pudding an added layer of texture to combat the thick, creamy rice. The sweetness of it seemed to come from...vanilla? Rhys took another bite as Angel watched on, smiling at him. Vanilla and honey, he decided, and another taste of the raisins told him that they had been soaked in some sort of alcohol before being added in. A spiced rum, possibly. Rhys hummed in delight and flicked his now clean spoon at Angel who beamed at him in a silent, empty threat.

"I didn't think Jack would have the time to cook." Or that he would bother to, Rhys left unsaid. The fact that he brought something was surprising in and of itself, but a homemade dish from Jack himself?

"He actually left work early to make this, I think. He was already home by the time I got back from school." Angel shrugged at him before leaving the kitchen to join the others in the living room, and Rhys could hear her laughter float through after a muffled exchanged between the other occupants. Rhys was stunned, however, and couldn't help the slight smile that grew on his lips.

 _Handsome Jack_ had left work early to make something for _Rhys._ No wait, that wasn't right. He didn't make it _specifically_ for Rhys, he- he made it for _everyone._ It wasn't some gift for Rhys, it was only _polite_ to bring something to a dinner like this, as sudden as it was.

It wasn't like _that._

Despite his own adamant thoughts, Rhys felt his face grow hot and he struggled to keep his smile from stretching from ear to ear. The cybernetic man buried his face in his hands and groaned as he felt his blush spread to his ear and his neck as well, not noticing that he had new company in the kitchen. The sound of them clearing their throat snapped Rhys out of his episode, causing his head to shoot up as he looked wide-eyed at Jack who was leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets and a lazy smirk on his face.

"J-Jack, I uh- I was just," Rhys laughed, nervous and jittery, before he grabbed the rice pudding and made to put it in the fridge. "Thanks for this, by the way. Angel explained it to me. She said that you- Ah, that you made it, so thank you."

More nervous laughter escaped him as he found a spot for the bowl in the fridge, then bent further down to grab produce for the main course of that night's meal. When he rose up again, Jack had moved closer, his hand on the refrigerator door and preventing Rhys from closing it. His eyes seemed to bore into Rhys, and his smirk had faded into nothing more than a faint purse of his lips.

A heavy weight appeared in Rhys' chest, and the longer he stared at Jack, the harder it was to swallow.

"It's better warm, you know. Keep it out." Jack opened the door wider and reached into the fridge to grab the bowl, not caring that he invaded a portion of Rhys' personal space, and stayed close to the other male even as he straightened up, with only the coolness of the fridge keeping Rhys from practically overheating. "We can let heat it up at a low temperature in the oven later."

Jack closed the refrigerator door, which caused both of them to move out of the way and further into each other's space. Rhys was again reminded of how little of a height difference they had as Jack's eyes locked with his, some intensity burning behind them even as Rhys' heart hammered in his chest. Time seemed to stretch on, with each moment that they spent staring at each other dragging on into eternity. Then, Jack moved closer and parted his lips as if to speak, his eyes clouded with an emotion Rhys couldn't read. Rhys, panicking, clutched the produce to his chest and turned away, quickly moving to the other side of the kitchen.

"Could you set it down on the island then? Thanks, Jack. I'll just," Rhys steadied himself on the counter, his hands braced against the edge as he tried to calm down, reminding himself to how to breathe and how to think. "Get started on dinner, if you don't mind. Will Timothy be joining us? He usually comes by with Angel but I haven't seen or heard from him. Just need to know how much to make, how many plates to set out. You know how it is."

Silence reigned in the room until there was a harsh _thunk_ on the counter top, coupled with the sound of glass sliding briefly on the tiles. Rhys didn't have to turn around to know that Jack had set the rice pudding down with a little more force than necessary.

"No," Rhys heard rubber squeak against the tiles as Jack moved, his sneakers probably scuffing the flooring. Jack's voice started to fade as he spoke, indicating to Rhys that he was leaving the kitchen. "He's not coming tonight. He went back to his own place, had some things to take care of."

Rhys turned around just in time to catch the sight of Jack walking away, hands shoved in his pockets and shoulders hunched forward as he went back to the living room. From that area, Rhys could hear Janey proposing a new game of Bunkers and Badasses until dinner was ready, followed by Vaughn yelling to Rhys and offering to help cook their meal.

Rhys didn't answer, _couldn't_ answer. He was too busy trying to regain control over his heart that was still threatening to jump straight from his chest. Vaughn's questioning voice faded into the background, drowned out by the frantic _thump_ of each heart beat.

* * *

There was a steady hum in Rhys' head for the rest of the night, like static interfering with his thoughts as he acted on autopilot to cook the meal and dish out helpings to everyone. Even as he ate, Rhys was off somewhere else, unable to get the static to leave him be and unable to get rid of the knot in his belly. While everyone complimented the meal, Jack stared at him from across the dining room table, eyes still burning like they had in the kitchen, and it made Rhys fidget in his seat.

Around him, his friends and roommates talked animatedly with each other, including Angel and even Jack in their conversations (after Vaughn got over his near heart attack from sitting and eating with _the_ Handsome Jack). Their words floated through Rhys' ears and even though he made sure to hum and nod at the correct times, everyone knew something was off with him, and that made the knot in his stomach grow bigger.

He couldn't for the life of him figure out why it was affecting him so, or why Jack was hyper focused on him that evening, either. Their work relationship had been relatively normal after their meeting in Jack's office at the beginning of the week, with Rhys giving the CEO space after the Torgue blueprint incident. It was enough time for Jack to cool down, and the president had visited Rhys' floor at least once since then to bother the Department Manager, proving that the air between them had been cleared. Nothing had was out of place, and their home life was normal as well, minus the increased activity with Timothy and Angel.

Rhys swallowed the bite of food that he had in his mouth and slowly lowered his fork to his plate, hovering it over his food and staring at his dish. There was something in the air tonight, he thought, something that was causing Jack's strange mood and behavior. The CEO had been behaved tonight, but whether it was because of Angel's presence or this... _thing_ between them, Rhys couldn't tell. There were too many variables to consider, and at the same, not nearly enough information to come to a solid conclusion. Rhys was too lost in his thoughts to notice Jack getting up from the table with Angel in tow, both of them offering to take the plates of those were finished. Jack's hand in front of his face finally snapped Rhys out of his daze, and the lanky man shot up with a jumbled apology as he grabbed his own plate.

"Jack, I'm sorry. Here, let me get those. You and Angel, both of you, sit back down." Rhys attempted to take the small pile of dishes Jack had grabbed, but was stopped with a look from the CEO, his mismatched eyes staring Rhys into submission.

"You're a guest..." Rhys started, trailing off as he grabbed his own arms to steady himself, crossing them over his chest. "You shouldn't be doing that."

"Too late, pumpkin. Sit your happy ass down, me and Angel are gonna serve dessert."

"Jack-"

"Uhp!" Jack tutted at him as he narrowed his eyes and pointed at the chair with his free hand. "Sit."

There was no room for argument, that much Rhys could understand, so he sat back down with pursed lips. Vaughn got his attention with a gentle nudge on his shoulder, and soon they were engrossed in a conversation about the benefits of building a healer versus a mage in B&B. Athena was roped in too, and Janey was quick to follow. As they talked and argued over the pros and cons of each, Rhys felt the knot in his stomach unwind slowly, comforted by the familiarity of his friends. The moment was broken when Angel and her father swept back into the room, Jack with the rice pudding in his hands and Angel carrying small bowls and spoons pilfered from their kitchen. She set one out in front of everyone, grinning from ear to ear and humming a tune that was only vaguely familiar. After everyone had a bowl and spoon in front of them, Jack took the rice pudding and heaped a healthy scoop into each bowl.

Steam wafted off of the pudding just slightly, and Rhys was hit by the scent of cinnamon and vanilla. Vaughn looked at the mushy rice like it was poison, which Rhys snorted at before he nudged him.

"It's not like oatmeal, bro. I know how you hate that stuff." Vaughn looked at him speculatively, but took up his spoon anyway and stirred it around a bit before bringing a bite up to his lips. Before he could take a bite, Jack cursed quietly and set the serving bowl down.

"I forgot something at my place." He said before giving Angel a quick kiss on the forehead. "Give me two minutes."

Jack rushed out of the house, letting the front door shut behind him with a soft thud. Rhys looked to Angel for answers, but the teenager had no clue either, shrugging her shoulders at him.

"Don't ask me, I don't know what his deal is." Angel took up her seat again and smiled at everyone. "Eat! It's _arroz con leche,_ homemade by dad. I promise he didn't do anything to it."

At that, she gave Rhys a pointed look and a teasing smile, which he replied to with a sheepish grin. It wasn't Rhys' fault, he didn't know that Handsome Jack could cook a decent meal to save his life. How was he to know that Jack wouldn't accidentally get the sugar and rat poison mixed up?

Janey and Athena dug into the pudding without hesitation, and Vaughn only followed their example after they exclaimed how good it was. Angel watched all of them with thinly veiled happiness, eating her own portion with just as much gusto as the rest of them. The pudding really was good, and had them all stunned into a companionable silence as they ate their dessert. A rough pounding on the door broke them out of their comfortable quietness, and Rhys excused himself from the table to venture over to the door.

Upon opening it, he found Jack once again, this time holding a large cardboard box in his arms, the long container held with great care. Jack tsked at him and nudged Rhys out of the way.

"Kinda heavy, buttercup. Got a room with some privacy? I need you to take off your shirt." As Jack walked into the house again, Rhys was left dumbstruck, his mouth gaping open as he closed the door. His heart started pounding in his chest again and he felt his face heat up at the implications of Jack's words. The CEO turned around to look at him, giving Rhys a dramatic roll of his eyes.

"Keep it in your pants, Rhysie. It's your new arm and I wanna see your friends' faces when they see you with it on." Jack juggled the box in his hands as he shifted on his feet, barely even straining against the box's weight. "Can't keep it a surprise if they watch me hook it up to you."

"My new what?" Before Jack could answer him with a no doubt sarcastic comment, Rhys smacked himself on the forehead lightly. How could he forget about his upgrades too? "Right, right. I just wasn't expecting it so soon."

 _Or for your to hand deliver it to me,_ Rhys left unsaid, fighting off that curl of heat in his belly at the thought.

"We can use my room?" Jack shot him an unimpressed look at the questioning tone and tapped his foot against the hardwood flooring. "I mean, we can use my room." Rhys said more confidently, beckoning Jack to follow him down the hall with a wave of his hand. Neither of them saw Angel stare after them with a grin on her face.

* * *

"So uh, how does this work?"

They were standing in Rhys' room, each of them staring at the box that Jack had placed on his bed. Halfway to his room, Rhys had realized just what was about to happen, and cursed himself for feeling like a giddy teenager at the thought of having Handsome Jack in his bedroom. He didn't have anything incriminating (his Hyperion and Handsome Jack posters were packed away and hadn't seen the light of day since college, _thank god_ ), nothing that he was ashamed of his boss seeing, but it the was principal of the thing.

Jack snorted and leaned down to open the box, revealing packing peanuts and plastic inside of it, hiding its true contents. Rhys waited with bated breath for Jack to pull out his new prosthetic, but instead, the CEO pulled out its new charging dock, a few cords, and a small manual, all of which he set on the bed next to the box.

"First off," Jack straightened up and again and walked around the bed to where Rhys was standing and poked him in the chest. "You need to get this shirt off, and then we'll go about disconnecting this old thing." Jack flicked his finger against the yellow-painted plating of Rhys' arm, ignoring the scowl Rhys sent him for the action.

"A-alright, I'll just, um," Rhys took a step from Jack and turned from him slightly so that he was facing the wall instead of Jack and began to unbutton his shirt. Even with his back turned to Jack, Rhys could tell that the older man was staring at him, boring holes into his skin with each passing second. Finally, with all of his buttons undone, Rhys took a steadying breath before he let his shirt fall from his shoulders, revealing expanses of smooth skin and his prosthetic. There was a sharp intake behind him before finger gently skirted over his skin, over the blue tattoos scarred into his left side. The action sent chills down his spine and Rhys knew that his skin had broken out in gooseflesh, and he felt himself involuntarily shudder. The wandering fingers left his skin at that moment.

"College was about me exploring myself," Rhys explained, nervous laughter tumbling from his lips. "And balancing out the prosthetic with another stark visual."

Again, fingers found his skin, but this time they hovered near his shoulder port, seeking out the locking mechanisms to undo them. Jack was silent as he did so, and offered no complaint when Rhys turned around so that he could reach the front ones, Rhys' own hand reaching up to help Jack with it. Together they detached his arm with ease and set the older model on the bed, ignoring it in favor of the stifling air between them. Jack reached out again, hand splaying over the now empty port, and Rhys didn't bother to hide his shudder and small gasp.

"I had the new one designed to fit your port," Jack started, voice low and filled with something Rhys didn't want to put a name to. "So the connection should be seamless."

Jack moved away without a sound and started moving the packing material out of the way to pull out Rhys' new arm. He cupped his hands around it gingerly as he lifted it up, treating the metal like it was a priceless artifact. Rhys watched him, heart hammering away as his new prosthetic was revealed.

The cybernetic man couldn't hold back his awe.

The new arm was sleek and smooth, the metal plates more streamlined and designed to match a human arm than his previous one, and it was nearly glowing in the light of his room. The light reflected off of the shiny chrome plating and revealed an opaque honeycomb pattern laid over the metal, only visibly at the right angle, and the effect of it stole Rhys' breath right from his lungs. Jack turned the arm this way and that so show Rhys the whole thing and revealed the palm where a shiny new ECHO lens sat in the middle, covered by small, retractable plates to keep it clean. The hand was smooth too, once again designed to be more human-like than robotic, with fingers that matched the length of Rhys' own perfectly. He reached out to touch it, then thought better of it and pulled back his hand.

"This must have cost a fortune, Jack, how can I-"

"I'm not having any of that, princess. Come on, let's get this monster hooked up to your systems." Jack offered no room for argument as he gestured for Rhys to turn to the side, which the Robotics manager did. Jack held up the arm to Rhys' socket, carefully lining up the port and connectors and gently pushing it into place. There was a soft click that reverberated throughout Rhys' body as the arm was locked in, Jack's fingers deftly securing it with little to no trouble. When Jack gave him the okay, Rhys booted up his ECHOeye and ran the startup sequences needed to link his systems together with the new prosthetic. Immediately, there was an alert showing on his ECHO system, telling him about the new hardware and asking if he wanted to allow it access to his subsystems.

With a final look at Jack, Rhys accepted the terms and conditions, allowing the prosthetic to integrate with the already existing cybernetics.

There was a quiet whirring noise as the arm booted up for the first time, its mechanisms doing their part to get everything settled correctly. Rhys's ECHOeye have him alerts as each function came online and successfully connected to him, his new prosthetic seemingly connecting flawlessly with his cybernetics and his nerve endings. There was no pain as it worked, no shocks or jolts to his body as everything came online. When it was done syncing up, it gave a small beep and the whirring stopped. Rhys looked at his arm in amazement and tentatively lifted it, the movement incredibly smooth and seamless as if it was a biological limb.

"Jack, this is..." Rhys trailed off as he lifted his hand, testing the mobility of his fingers. When the sequences had stopped, the spaces in between his plating lit up with a dim yellow glow, causing his arm to be slightly illuminated. "This is amazing. I... I don't know what else to say."

Jack took his hand in his own, running his thumb over the cool metal before turning Rhys' hand over to get a look at the palm. He pressed his thumb in and Rhys swore he could feel the heat from Jack's hand, but Jack was hyper focused on Rhys' hand, so he didn't see the flush rising to Rhys' cheeks.

"Jack...?"

The CEO kept running his fingers over Rhys' shiny new hand, now holding the robotic appendage in both of his own hands as he did so. Rhys didn't make a move to take his hand back, instead letting Jack do what he wanted, but watched the older man with equal parts confusion and nervousness.

_"Me estás haciendo algo estraño, Rhys. No puedo pensar claro contigo, y quiero estar contigo más y más. No puedo entender, y no me habría dado cuenta si mi hermano no hubiera dicho algo, y me ha estado molestando desde entonces! No sé que hacer--quiero besarte, abrazarte, quiero que siempre estás cerca, pero no puedo hacer nada de eso porque todavía me confunde!"_

Jack's brows furrowed as he ran his thumbs over the plating of Rhys' hand, just barely leaving smudges on the surface, but Rhys couldn't care less about that at the moment.

_"¿Qué me has hecho?"_

Rhys was thrown into a stunned silence at Jack's words and swallowed heavily around the lump in his throat. He didn't understand a bit of what Jack said aside from his own name, but something told him that Jack just revealed something deeply earth shattering, if the way Jack refused to meet his eyes was any indication. The hands around his own squeezed before Jack dropped them to his sides, clenching his fists before exhaling heavily and moving to get the box and packing materials cleaned up. The air between them was heavy with much left unsaid and it cut through Rhys like a knife.

"What does that mean, Jack?" There was no answer from the CEO which made Rhys even more frustrated. He bent down to pick up his forgotten shirt and pulled it on, not bothering to button it up just yet. Briefly, he focused on the way the lighting shined through the fabric of his sleeve before he looked to Jack again.

"Jack-"

"Nothin', pumpkin. It doesn't mean jack shit, I was just thinking out loud."

"Then..." Rhys grabbed the manual off the bed, dropping the subject of Jack's foreign speech with less grace than he hoped for. "How much do I owe you for this?" He asked, gesturing to everything from his new prosthetic to its accessories. Again, Jack snorted, laughing at Rhys for a reason the Robotics Head couldn't fathom.

"Again, nothing. This is me as your boss making sure you have the materials you need to be successful in your job." Jack finished packing up the remaining plastic and closed the box, folding the flaps over each other and lifting the much lighter package with less care than before now that its cargo was gone.

"I can't- No, I have to pay for this. It must have cost thousands-"

"Tens of thousands."

Rhys ran a hand through his hair, hissing through his teeth. "Jesus Christ, Jack."

"And you're not paying me a dime." Jack finally made eye contact with Rhys again, his expression hard and every line of his body speaking of finality on the matter. Rhys swallowed around the feeling of his heart in his throat and met Jack's challenge, holding the CEO's gaze for as long as he could.

There was no way he could realistically pay Jack back without working out a payment plan and possibly taking out a few loans, so part of him was enormously relieved that Jack wasn't looking to be reimbursed, but the other part of him was screaming. The arm was too much to just _take,_ to just receive as if it was nothing more than a toy or a small trinket.

"There has to be something, Jack." He said finally, fighting to keep the tremor out of his speech as he continued to match Jack's eyes.

"There isn't." Jack replied simply, shaking his head with conviction. "Because you're already doing it."

There was a beat of silence punctuated by Rhys' pulse.

"What?"

Jack broke their staring contest and rubbed the back of his neck, sighing with the motion and sitting down heavily on Rhys' bed. He dropped the almost empty cardboard box at his feet and clasped his hands together as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. Jack's expression was tight again, keeping his eyes on the floor.

"Remember when I started asking you something about Angel?"

Rhys blinked momentarily, letting out a questioning sound before he recalled their conversation in Jack's office at the beginning of the week. Angel's name created tension between them that day, so Rhys waited apprehensively for Jack to continue, not sure how this line of questioning was going to go.

"I was gonna..." Jack sighed again, rubbing a hand over his face. "I was gonna ask if you and your dweeb friend could keep her company while we stayed here and not at our penthouse, but you kinda started doing that already, so....thanks, I guess."

"Keep her company...?" Rhys tilted his head to the side, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Look, Rhys, Angel's a great kid," Jack started, still looking at the ground. "But she's leagues above her classmates and has problems socializing. Docs say it's a social disorder or something, but it doesn't help the fact that kids her age already avoid her because they think she's... _strange._ " There was pain in Jack's voice when he spoke, and Rhys could tell just from that that this topic taxed him and affected him more than he let on. The cybernetic man also felt the love Jack had for Angel, the undeniable love a father has for their daughter, and it made something in Rhys' chest swell with happiness.

"And she really seems to like you guys, fuck if I know why, but she's been more...open? I guess, since she's met you. I dunno, _fuck."_ Jack stood up abruptly, nearly knocking into Rhys who had ventured closer without Jack noticing, and grabbed the box again.

"So you're already paying me back for that arm by making my daughter happy, alright?"

Rhys could do little except nod at him, wordlessly accepting that as an adequate way to repay the tremendous favor Jack had done for him. Without another word, Jack left the bedroom and shut the door softly behind him, leaving Rhys alone with his thoughts and his erratic heart.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all don't know how badly i've been wanting to write these scenes

Jack stared into the pink rose bushes in front of him, knees digging into the soft earth underneath him and staining his pants with mud and grass. His hands hovered over a rose, one curled around the petals, ready to catch the flower after he snipped its stem with the clippers in his other hand.

But he couldn’t close them, couldn’t tighten the blades around the flower’s stem. 

A snort followed by a laugh came from behind him, shocking the CEO to his core and startling him so much that he snipped the stem crookedly and much too short. The rose landed in his palm with a soft thump, its small stem sticking up, taunting him almost. Jack glared down at the blossom before dropping it into the wicker basket by his legs, and then turned to look at his daughter who was covering her smile behind clasped hands. 

“I was wondering when you would snap out of it. You’ve been staring at that rose for five minutes.” She giggled into her palms which were covered in dirt. Some of it got on her cheeks, mixing in with her freckles.

“I was  _ not- _ ”

“Dad, don’t lie. I was able to harvest two honeycombs while you were spaced,  _ and  _ pick carrots.”

Jack snapped his mouth shut, craning his neck to look behind Angel to find their picnic table laden with a few jars of honey and a half-filled basket of carrots. He narrowed his eyes as he looked back at Angel, and stood with a huff, dusting his hands off and rubbing the dirt off of his jeans. When he was at his full height, he stared down at Angel with an annoyed look on his face as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I was just distracted. Care to tell me where your hat is?”

“Distracted  _ my ass- _ ” Angel started with a roll of her eyes, smile still hanging off her lips.

“ _ Angel María Lawrence,  _ what have I told you about that kind of language?” 

Angel jolted, eyes widening in a way that was almost comical, but Jack merely stared down at her and tapped his foot in the grass, the muffled thumping unsatisfying instead of intimidating like how it would have been if he were doing this on their hard-wood floors. Still, Angel caught the action and her dipped her head down.

“ _ Lo siento, papá. _ ” 

Sighing, Jack reached out to Angel, threading his fingers through her hair and pushing it out of her face so that he could kiss her forehead. He kissed her cheeks as well, wiping away the dirt from her skin with a swipe of his thumb.

“ _ Te perdono, mija.  _ Still didn’t tell me why you’re not wearing your hat, though.” Angel shot him an indignant look at that, huffing at Jack in annoyance. 

“I’ve  _ grown up _ with these bees. I know how they are, I really don’t think I need netting to protect myself from them.” 

“And  _ I’ve  _ worked with them for longer than you’ve been alive and I  _ still  _ wear my hat when I tend to them. You’re lucky I only want you to wear the hat and not the whole suit. I just want to make sure you’re safe, sweetheart.” Jack smiled down at her sweetly which she returned with a roll of her eyes. His smile turned crooked then and he tangled his fingers in Angel’s hair again, messing with it until her curls were sticking up every which way, much to his daughter’s annoyance. 

“ _ Oh my god, dad- _ ” She squawked when Jack pulled her into his arms, one of them hooking around Angel to keep her in place as he continued to mess with her hair, ignoring all her attempts to break free. Peals of laughter escaped them both, with high pitched squeaks coming from Angel every so often.

“Dad, please!” Finally, Jack released her, a grin plastered to his face which she mirrored, her blue eyes glaring at him but still betraying her amusement.

“I can’t believe you just  _ noogied  _ me. I thought you were supposed to an adult.” 

Jack shrugged before he reached down to pick up the basket by the rose bushes, filled with many perfectly cut roses and just one with a crooked stem. Jack picked that one out of the basket and broke off the few thorns on its stem before putting it in Angel’s hair, the stem just long enough to rest behind her ear.

“Getting older is exhausting,” He said in response, placing the basket on the picnic table before grabbing his own net-covered hat that was sitting on the bench and putting it on. Pointedly, he tapped the brim of the hat and looked at Angel. “Too many friggin’ expectations and responsibilities.”

Angel hummed in response, grabbing her own hat and putting it on just to stop Jack from complaining more. With the net falling neatly around her face, Angel joined her father in the far corner of their backyard where Jack kept his beehives. Pollen-rich flowers crowded the fence near the hives, giving the bees easy access to their materials, and a bird bath sat not too far away, providing water for both visiting birds and their own buzzing insects. The area was shaded by the large oak in their yard, with sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting hypnotizing shadows along the ground. Around them, the honey bees whizzed by, minding their own business happily.

“Responsibilities like telling people you like them?” Angel asked, clasping her hands behind her back as she came to stand next to Jack. Absently, she noticed that she was eye-level with his shoulders now, and that he seemed to freeze at her comment. A moment passed before Jack relaxed again, leaning over to pull out one of the frames Angel had already cleared of its honeycomb to inspect it. Some raw honey was still stuck to the frame, but Jack put it back without worry. 

“I tell plenty of people that I like them. You, Timmy, Nish, Wilhelm,” Jack grabbed the smoke canister he kept nearby and started to spray a previously untouched beehive, disrupting any attacks his disturbance would have incited from the hive. “Your mother when she isn’t screaming at me to agree to split-custody. Which, by the way, would cause hell to freeze over and thus never happen. You think she would get it after seventeen years.”

Angel dutifully ignored the comment about her mother, not wanting to incite one of Jack’s rants about a woman she barely knew, and nudged his arm gently.

“You haven’t told Rhys. You had the perfect opportunity last night.”

Jack’s shoulders bunched up, his back taut with new tension and his hands clenched tight around the smoke canister. Angel leaned forward slightly to peer at his face, the tightness of his expression only somewhat masked by the netting surrounding his face and blocking her sight.

“I tell Rhys that I like him. Just the other day, I called his office to tell him what a good job he was doing.” Jack said through gritted teeth, voice low and nearly a growl. Still, Angel pressed despite Jack’s tight-lipped response.

“Dad, you and I both know that you don’t go out of your way to give gifts like that to just anyone.”

“ _ Angel- _ ”

“The last time you spent that much on a  _ gift  _ was Gaige’s prosthetic, and before that those antique revolvers you gave to Nisha, and before that-”

“ **Stop.** ”

Angel snapped her mouth shut and blinked up at Jack, mindful of the way he was carrying himself now. He dropped the smoke canister to the grass below and pulled out a frame from the hive, inspecting it and its honey content. Bees swarmed on the frame, some of them taking flight to find more pollen, but none of them were prompted to attack the source of the disturbance. A few bees landed on the net of their hats, but neither father nor daughter paid them any mind. The honeycomb was too small to harvest, so Jack replaced it and took another from its nook, repeating the process until each frame was examined.

None of them were ready to harvest. Angel almost imagined it might be a metaphor for something in their lives, but she dismissed the thought. Too poetic, too akin to something in a trashy romance novel or a slice-of-life book with no real plot.

“Rhys is,” Jack scowled at the beehives, searching for something to do with his hands now that they were free of honeycomb. Failing in his search, he clenched them into fists. “Rhys is a  _ friend, _ a valuable employee, and someone that  _ you _ like for some reason.”

“And whom you spent nearly  _ fifty-thousand  _ on for that upgrade alone-”

“ _ Angel _ .”

“ _ Jack. _ ”

They each squared their shoulders as Jack turned to face Angel, annoyance in every line of his body. Through the netting, Jack could see the fierce look in Angel’s eyes, her baby blues alight with fire that he knew his own eyes mirrored. Her jaw was set, an angry flush across her cheeks making her freckles stand out more than usual. 

“Why are you so adamant about this?”

"Why are  _ you  _ being so stupid?” She shot back, tone biting and nearly making Jack flinch.

“What have I told you about-” 

“I don’t care, Jack! You’re being stupid! You’re being  _ stubborn!  _ Rhys is the first good thing to happen to you in a long time and you’re letting him slip away! I see how you look at him! How your  _ stupid  _ face lights up when you talk about him!”

Jack growled in response, making a move to grab at his hair, but was hindered by his hat, making him even more frustrated. He tore the hat off of his head and threw it to the ground, stopping just short of stomping on it. Around them, bees swarmed, getting agitated with the commotion. 

“So what if it does?  _ So what if I like him!  _ What do you expect me to do about it, Angel?!”

“Tell him!” Angel nearly shrieked, wanting to pull her own hair out. 

“ _ I did! _ ” Jack shouted back. His chest heaved, his fists clenched at his sides, and he knew his own face was flushed with exertion. Angel looked at him, her eyes blinking owlishly as she breathed heavily as well. Her own hands relaxed at her sides and her shoulders fell, but her lips were pursed into a straight line, annoyance still clear.

“In a language he doesn’t understand. I heard you last night. I went down the hall to use the restroom and  _ I heard what you said to him _ .” Her tone was purely accusatory, as if daring Jack to deny her allegations. Jack bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.

“I can’t tell him any other way.” He said finally, bending over to pick up his forgotten hat. He wiped dirt from the net, refusing to meet Angel’s eyes. “It’s not that easy.”

“Yes it is! You just have to walk up to him and say-” Angel’s voice dropped an octave as she tried to emulate her father’s tone. “ _ Oh Rhys, I see the stars in your eyes, and I- _ ”

“Angel, you don’t understand-” 

“ _ -Would love to have the pleasure of your company tonight at dinner. What do you say, pumpkin? _ ” She finished off with a wink, pursed lips stretching to form a smile instead. 

“Angel, you are a  _ child,  _ and you don’t understand what you’re talking about! Nothing in life is that easy!  _ Absolutely nothing _ !” Silence reigned between them, and Jack had only a moment to really register what he shouted at Angel before tears started welling up in her eyes. Her face became flushed for a different reason, the tip of her nose growing red as tears started to fall down her cheeks. Her eyes never lost their fire, not even as her face became stained with tears, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

“Aw  _ shit _ -” Jack grimaced and reached out for Angel. She flinched away from him, watching as he reacted as if slapped across the face. “Angel, sweetheart, I didn’t mean that-”

“Don’t,” Angel began, her voice hardened. “Don’t touch me. Don’t talk to me.” 

Angel ripped off her hat and threw it to the ground as she stomped her way back into the house, slamming the back door hard enough to crack the wood. The rose Jack placed in her hair earlier fell as she went, landing at the steps to the back door. Jack stared at the rose, a sinking feeling in his gut before the sound of something else slamming shut caught his attention. He saw the flutter of curtains being hastily closed and turned his attention next door, where Rhys’ kitchen window was. They were still moving when he looked, evidence of being only recently closed.

_ Fuck. _

* * *

Inside his own home, Rhys gripped the kitchen sink. His sleek prosthetic covered his mouth, preventing noise from escaping him. Which was  _ stupid _ , Jack couldn’t hear him from that far away, but it helped to calm him down, helped to even his breathing.

_ What was that? _

* * *

“Hey bro, are you okay?”

Nothing. Not even a twitch.

“Rhys?” Vaughn tried again, waving his hand in front of Rhys’ face.

“ _ Rhys! _ ” Finally, Rhys showed a reaction, jumping slightly at Vaughn’s voice and looking at his friend with a shocked expression.

“Dude, what’s wrong?” Vaughn threw his hands up in the air, and gestured to Rhys when he brought them back down. 

“What’s wrong?  _ What’s wrong? _ I don’t know, maybe the fact that you walked out of the kitchen like an hour ago and have just been sitting on the couch watching  _ Judge Judy _ re-runs? You  _ hate  _ Judge Judy, bro!” Vaughn vaulted over the back of the couch with ease to flop down next to Rhys, hooking his arm around Rhys’ shoulders. The action was a little difficult due to their height difference even when sitting down, but Vaughn was determined. “Did Jack put some program in that fancy new arm to mess with your head? I can get someone over here to check it out if I have to-”

“No!” The accountant stared up at Rhys with confusion, just a little startled by his outburst. “I mean, no it’s not that. Jack didn’t do anything- Well, he  _ did,  _ but not like that! I just, heard something shocking and don’t know how to comprehend it yet.”

“Hm,” Vaughn rubbed at his jaw, fingers scratching at his growing facial hair. To be honest, Rhys was  _ quite  _ excited to see that Vaughn was growing out his beard fully. “Was the thing you heard meant for you?”

“Well, no but-” 

“Was it about you?” Vaughn questioned, still stroking his goatee. 

“In a way, yeah?” Rhys shrugged, not sure how he felt about the exact topic of the conversion he witnessed between Angel and Jack, or how it had ended. Dread filled his gut as he remembered the way Angel ran off and he bit his lip to stop himself from mentioning that.

“Was it bad?” Vaughn continued, looking up at Rhys from over the rim of his glasses.

“I don’t…” Rhys ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He looked at his hand in his lap, the soft glow from the prosthetic’s lights making him think of honey and  _ Jack _ , which in turn made his belly twist uncomfortably. “I don’t think so?” 

Rhys slumped against Vaughn, pulling his legs up and onto the couch and shifting until he was able to rest his head on Vaughn’s shoulder. In turn, Vaughn chuckled and started to comb his fingers through Rhys’ hair and grabbed the TV remote, switching the television off so that they could sit comfortably without hearing trashy daytime shows.

“Then don’t worry about it, bro. Just let it play out naturally, whatever it is.”

Rhys hummed and was content to not respond any further. They stayed like that on the couch for awhile, eventually sliding down to a laying position when Vaughn started griping about his shoulder. They fell asleep like that, with Rhys laying on Vaughn’s belly, his arms wrapped around the shorter man comfortably. Vaughn had one hand on the nape of Rhys’ neck, his other arm thrown over his eyes to block out any light while he slept. 

Athena came home and found them like that, and didn’t waste a single second to take pictures. 

* * *

The rest of the weekend was spent in relative silence. Rhys didn’t want to, but he couldn’t help sneaking peeks into Jack’s backyard, and keeping an ear open for any more arguments from the family next door. He saw Jack a few times in the yard, obsessively tending to his garden and his beehives, but there wasn’t the slightest sound of raised voices, which helped to relieve some tension in Rhys’ chest.

Still, he walked into Hyperion the following Monday with nervous energy running through his veins. Even the smallest nudge from Vaughn was enough to startle him, which in turn made his friend stare at him like he had grown a second head.

“You sure you’re okay, bro? You’ve been jumpy all weekend.” Vaughn hooked his hand around the crook of Rhys’ elbow to help steady him, looking up at Rhys with worry. “You can call in sick, you know.”

“No, no. I just-” Rhys stopped mid-sentence to take a deep breath, letting oxygen swirl in his lungs before he released it and tried to put a confident smile on his face. “Need to relax, let things take their course, like you said. Everything will work out in the end.”

Vaughn gave him a look, but shrugged his shoulders and moved his hand to gently pat Rhys on the back. “Whatever you say, man. ECHO me if you need anything, yeah?”

“For sure, bro.” Rhys pointed his fingers at Vaughn, initiating Their Bro-est Of Bros™ finger gun routine. Vaughn, being the  _ bro  _ that he is, pointed them right back at Rhys as he walked off to the elevators, shooting his taller companion a wink as he went.

The silly gesture wasn’t much, but it did help to soothe Rhys’ nerves.

* * *

Rhys walked into his office with his head in the clouds. There were three things he did not notice because of this.

  1. His door was already unlocked even though he was diligent about locking it at the end of each work day.
  2. There was a coat on the back of his chair that _did not_ belong to him.
  3. His chair was facing the window, not the desk like it usually was.



Rhys turned to shrug off his jacket and hang it on the coat rack, and he slipped his bag off and hung it up as well, fishing out his ECHO device before turning back towards his desk. Still refusing to notice the changes in his room, Rhys unlocked his phone and checked his email, feet automatically carrying him to his desk when a voice called out and stopped him.

“ _ Have a seat, pumpkin. _ ”

“Wha-” Rhys jumped, hands losing their grip on his ECHO and fumbling with it until he was able to save it from falling to floor. He stood gripping his phone to his chest, heaving from the shock he just experience, as his chair was swiveled around to reveal Handsome Jack. His hands were steepled in front of his face, elbows resting on the arms of Rhys’ chair, and his eyes were trained on Rhys.

In turn, Rhys swallowed heavily, heart pounding in his chest. Already, Rhys’ mind was running a mile per second, remembering Friday night when he received his arm, that Saturday and the argument he witnessed between Jack and Angel.

The revelations that weren’t meant for his ears.

“I’ve been expecting you.”

Wait. 

Was he serious right now?

Rhys squinted at Jack, lips tugging downwards. Did he really just- ? Did Handsome Jack  _ really  _ come all the way down from his cosy, classy, CEO office to the lower levels of Hyperion’s workforce, waltz into Rhys’ office, and  _ wait  _ until Rhys arrived just to- 

“Ho _ -ly _ shit, kiddo, you cannot  _ believe  _ how long I’ve been wanting to do that! I mean, the only thing that could possibly make this better is like, if I had some fluffy monstrosity of a cat in my lap, you know? Named like, Mister Wiggleston or some shit.”

Of course he did. Why was that even a question.

“Now  _ that  _ would have been the bee’s knees.” 

“Jack-” 

“But enough about me, how’ve you been, buttercup? Liking upper management so far? How’s the arm treating you?”

“ _ Jack- _ ” 

“I’m pushing R&D to roll out more from that prosthetic line later this Spring, gonna be a big hit with other amputees and people with your condition. Gonna do  _ a lot _ of good with that, pumpkin.”

“Jack,” Rhys said finally, adding more of a bite to his words. The CEO snapped his eyes up to Rhys’ face, keeping his mouth shut. “You look like  _ shit. _ ”

After Rhys had gotten over his initial disbelief and fright, his eyes roamed over the CEO, taking in his appearance. There were dark circles under his eyes and white crust at the corners, like he had forgotten to wash his face that morning. His jaw was covered in stubble and his clothes were rumpled terribly, evidence of sleeping in them. Even his smile looked forced and out of place.

_ Shit  _ was just the best adjective to describe him at the moment.

“Rough weekend,” Was all Jack said, standing up from the chair and walking around Rhys’ desk. He came to a stop when he got to Rhys and put his hands on the man’s shoulders, pushing him towards his own chair and making him sit. Rhys went without complaint, curiosity winning out against all else, and sat with a soft  _ oomph  _ as he fell back in the chair. Jack stood behind him, hands still on Rhys’ shoulders as he leaned down, face uncomfortably close to his. 

“I have another proposition for you, Rhysie.”

Rhys cringed, moving away from Jack and his frankly  _ horrible  _ breath.

“Does it involve you brushing your teeth at some point? Because ah, you  _ really  _ need to. _ God. _ ”

Jack scowled at him and pushed himself away from Rhys, using his leverage to spin Rhys’ chair around (steadfastly ignoring Rhys’ squawks of protest) as he walked to the other side of the desk and planted his hands on the surface of the wood, still leaning into Rhys’ space but far enough away that the manager didn’t have to smell his days-old stench. 

“ _ Anyway- _ ” Jack began, ignoring the way Rhys glared up at him. “I’m offering you another promotion. You got a good head on your shoulders and I could use that higher up.”

Immediately, Rhys started protesting, eyes wide with surprise and mouth open, ready to ask questions Jack really did not want to hear at the moment.

“Be my PA, Rhys.”

Jack held his breath as he looked at Rhys, noticing the way his eyes got impossibly bigger at the announcement. Jack saw the way Rhys worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he contemplated his answer, and how Rhys’ hands (one flesh, the other beautifully chrome and made from  _ Jack’s own design _ ) clenched and unclenched on the arm rests. There was no way he was going to deny his offer.

On the other end of the spectrum, Rhys was actually doing all these things because was just nervous about how Jack would react when he told him:

“No.”

You don’t  _ deny  _ Handsome Jack  _ anything _ , not when it comes to his company. 

But Rhys was a leader, not a follower, and he made mental note to send Vaughn a simple text reading  _ “I totally #rekt Jack today lmao text it.”  _

“Excuse me, princess?” Rhys noted the way Jack’s nails started to dig into the wood of his desk, and decided to choose his next words very carefully.

“I said no. Jack, you already have a secretary. While she’s- less than pleasant, she does her job well enough. You don’t  _ need  _ a PA.” Jack pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, but it was much less intimidating with the scruff dusting his face. 

“But I  _ want  _ one.”

“Then find someone else,” Rhys shot back, quickly getting agitated. “Because  _ I  _ want to stay here. I  _ like  _ this position, Jack, and I’m doing some real good with it. I have  _ plans  _ for this company, and I can’t accomplish them if I’m glued to your side, managing your meetings and fetching coffee for you.”

They squared off against each other, an unstoppable force against an unmovable one, for what seemed like minutes, but was actually only mere seconds. Rhys was the first to break, leaning back into his chair with a heavy sigh and running his hand through his hair. 

“Jack, why do you even want me as your PA?”

“I just,” Jack swallowed around the lump in his throat, for once at a loss for words. He couldn’t tell him the truth, that having him around would make Jack  _ happier, _ that it might make the tightness in his chest loosen. What he told Angel was true, none of this was ever  _ easy _ , and it wasn’t like feelings came naturally to Jack, not anymore. Not after what had happened. 

Jack settled for something much simpler. 

“ _ I want you close to me. _ ”

“Jack-” Rhys could feel his face burning up, his heart hammering in his chest. But he couldn’t- He couldn’t just respond to that in the way that he wanted, in a way that would reveal his accidental eavesdropping. Coughing softly into his hand, Rhys tried to wave the comment away casually, hoping his voice was steady as he spoke. “We live next door to each other. How much closer could we be?”

Jack blinked at him, surprise blossoming on his face until it melted away as he grimaced. Whether it was at Rhys’ comment or his own show of emotion, Rhys couldn’t tell, but Jack shut down after that. His face was closed off now as he shoved his hands in his pockets and spun on his heel, making for the door.

“Yeah, you know what?” He called out. “It was stupid  _ fuckin’  _ suggestion. Forget I ever said anything.”

Another second passed and Rhys was left with the image of Jack slamming his office door shut behind as he left, the sound reverberating throughout his room. With a shaky sigh and heart still pounding away, Rhys leaned back into his chair again and breathed deeply. An unfamiliar scent filled his nose. It wasn’t unpleasant, quite the opposite in fact, and it filled his senses until Rhys finally moved away and turned back.

Jack left his coat hanging off his chair.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to Emi. Love ya,

The jacket haunted Rhys for days, and days turned into a week.

There was nothing special about it. It was an old, worn leather jacket with creases in the elbows from repeated use and the smell of Jack’s cologne ingrained into the material. It’s color was dulled with age and the manufacturer tag was faded, making it unable to read.

The only remarkable thing about it was that it indeed belonged to one Handsome Jack Lawrence, CEO of Hyperion and Rhys’ next door neighbor.

Rhys almost wanted to burn it.

But he didn’t, and if he gently folded it up and carried it home with more care than strictly necessary, then that was his business, thank you very much. If he took it to the dry cleaners with special instructions to not harm the old thing, then that wasn’t anyone else’s business, either.

(When he got it back, he was delighted to find that Jack’s cologne still clung to it, and something decidedly _giddy_ twisted in his belly as he pressed the jacket to his nose.)

Unfortunately, Rhys hadn’t been able to find the time to return it to Jack, and with the way things went in their last conversation, Rhys wasn’t too sure he even wanted to see the man again. The tenseness in his shoulders as he left, the way his fists clenched at his sides, and how Jack’s eyes dulled as he realized how set Rhys was in his answer…

Rhys even cringed as he walked by the usual Hyperion motivational posters that were mounted on the company walls.

So Rhys left the jacket neatly hanging in his closet for a week, and though its presence haunted him every time he opened his closet, it was pushed to the back of his mind by the time he and Vaughn arrived at Hyperion proper to continue on with the daily grind. The company was shifting again, rearranging the hierarchy and putting people in their places. Since the Torgue Incident™, the Board of Directors and upper management were much more thorough in picking new interns, employees, and promoting those deserving of it, which caused waves of unease to wash over everyone else.

Things were changing inside of Hyperion, and it was because of _Rhys._ The last time changed like this occurred was when Jack took the top seat.

The company man swallowed his discomfort down and parted ways with Vaughn in the elevator, giving him a thumbs up as the doors closed. The rest of the ride up to his department was quiet, even when it seemed like the entirety of Pharmaceutical decided to pile in at one point. Rhys shuffled into a back corner of the elevator and sighed, squeezing his limbs as close to himself as possible.

It was certainly turning out to be a great day.

* * *

With some luck, Rhys managed to keep the ranks within his own department relatively untouched aside from finding a replacement for the one man he fired. Which was good, honestly, because they were swamped with projects and deadlines to meet. R&D was pushing out more prototypes, which meant both the Robotics and Programming departments had their work cut out for them. Interns scurried about the floor, arms laden with paperwork and coffee cups, cheeks flushed from exertion, and the employees in the cubicles resembled zombies more than they did humans.

Rhys dodged one intern as he made his way across the department floor, moving out of the way just before she crashed into him, and decided he would make some rounds before he settled into his own office. A little encouragement from the department head could go a long way in times like these, and Rhys was sure he could provide some tips and pointers for anyone stuck on code that just seemed out of their reach, or help a few interns with their regular afternoon espresso deliveries.

The department head leaned in a cubicle at random and tapped it occupant on the shoulder, smiling warmly at them as they turned around, eyes glassy from staring at their computer screen for too long.

“Mind if I peek?”

Rhys couldn’t deny that the way his employee’s face lit up made his day just the tiniest bit better.

* * *

“ _Rhhysss._ ”

The man in question perked up from where he was leaning against a cubicle desk and looked over the thin, short walls that separated everyone. His name was called again, followed by a hand waving at him weakly, raising up over the wall the call the manager over.

“I’m going to go over and see what they need, alright?” Rhys asked his current charge, again smiling warmly at them as they waved him off with a tired thank you and an earnest _godspeed, manager._

Rhys left his employee, Mason he believed, and journeyed to the next person in need. He found them lying face first on their keyboard, mouth slightly open and eyes practically dead, but they still found the energy to wave at him, this time brandishing a file and waving it lazily in the air until Rhys took it.

“What’s this-”

“An overview of some companion bot’s progress.” Said the employee, sitting up from their position to lean back in their chair, head tipping over the back of it. From this angle, Rhys could see all the smudged fingerprints and dust lining the lenses of their glasses. “I tried emailing it to Handsome Jack but there were _mistakes_ in the original file and I’ve been running on three hours of sleep, so when I tried to fix it, I just made _more mistakes_ and kept re-sending it and now Handsome Jack has my email blocked from his servers and I _need_ to get it to him _and-_ ”

“Uhp,” Rhys silenced his employee’s ramblings with a tsk and gently swatted their arm with the file. “So you want _me_ to deliver this to Jack?”

The employee, Dillard, Rhys gleaned from their name tag, sat up in their seat and pushed their glasses up the bridge of their nose, nodding nervously. “I’d ask one of the interns but they’re all too scared of Jack still to even attempt it, and I’d do it but I still need to finish going over the code for the service bots due later this month.”

Rhys hummed and bit his lip gently-

“Plus, everyone kinda thinks you’re closer to him, so. You know,” Dillard grinned sheepishly at him and pushed their glasses up again. “You’re the safest one to send.”

Rhys sputtered and choked on his own spit, face rapidly flushing pink which he tried to cover with the file in his hands. Dillard looked at him funny until Rhys cleared his throat and thumped his chest a few times, eyes closed as he silently asked for patience and the ability to _not be a total idiot._

“Right, uh yeah, sure. Let’s- let’s go with that, I guess. Okay, whew,” Rhys fanned his face with the file as he started to back out of the cubicle, sending a mock salute to Dillard. They returned it with a hesitant smile. “I’ll get this up to the big man himself, _no problem._ ”

“Uh, thank you?”

The awkward tilt of Dillard’s voice was no match for the gait Rhys adopted as he walked away, or the feeling of suddenly having two left feet as he marched to the elevator. The file was getting crinkled in his grasp, and he was sure there would be small stains from the oil and sweat on his skin. Rhys nervously pushed back his hair as he climbed into the elevator and tried to even his breathing, but every intake felt like he was inhaling the thickest smoke.

* * *

The double doors leading to Jack’s office were imposing as always, and Stacey’s glare was especially chilling that day. Rhys tried to squash down his own discomfort as Stacey buzzed him in, but it all returned full-force as Jack gave him permission to enter.

He swallowed heavily, his custom-made prosthetic clenching at his side, and stepped into Jack’s office, trying to keep his head high.

(And failing. One look at Jack’s desk and Rhys’ gaze was trained on his boots as he walked into the room.)

Rhys didn’t raise his eyes to look at Jack until he reached his desk, the wooden surface gleaming with the afternoon sun. The CEO never once looked up at him, not even as Rhys placed the file directly in his line of sight.

“Thanks, cupcake.”

Not _Rhysie_ or _Rhys._

_Cupcake._

Rhys bit the inside of his cheek to keep from screaming.

“It’s from Dillard in my department. They’ve been trying to email it to you all day but there was something about you blocking their address.”  Determination alone kept his voice even as he spoke, but it did nothing to stop the trembling in his limbs. Rhys’ legs felt like jelly as he stared down at Jack, all but screaming at the man to _fucking look at him._

“Yeah,” And Jack _did,_ he did look up at him, but the look in his eyes made Rhys want to sink into the floor. “And I said _thanks, cupcake._ Now get the hell out of my office.”

The snarl on his lips made Rhys move faster than he ever had in his life, heart beating wildly and for all the wrong reasons.

* * *

When Jack finished his work that day, he took his private elevator up to his penthouse and sagged against the wall as it climbed. There would be no Angel there to greet him as he stepped into the threshold of the penthouse, and he wouldn’t be returning to his suburban home to face the brunt of her attitude either. These thoughts weighed heavy on his shoulders as his feet dragged, shoes scuffing the floor through his penthouse with each step.

Jack shrugged, the familiar weight of his jacket missing, and slumped on the sofa, not even bothering to undo his vest or toe off his shoes. His ECHO device was a prominent presence in his pocket, as if burning a hole through the material, and he itched to message at least _one_ of them.

Angel, Rhys.

 _Fuck,_ he had messed shit up with both of them. Not even his own flesh and blood bothered to spare him a glance and Rhys?

Well, Jack was just digging that hole deeper. He might hit the center of the earth before he mustered up the courage to _not_ screw his chances with the man into the ground.

Still, Jack found his hand curling around his ECHO, thumb hovering over the call button next to Angel’s name. Her picture grinned up at him from the screen, an old photo he had taken on one of their beach trips last summer. Her freckles stood out even more against the light, the sun bringing them out more than ever, and he longed to kiss her cheeks and her button nose again.

The ache in his chest deepened, and he pressed the call button.

It rung a few times before there was the telltale click of someone answering on the other side, and as Angel tentatively answered _hello..?_ , Jack momentarily felt his heart stop.

He just missed his baby girl _so much._

“Angel, sweetheart, I-” There was nothing on the other end, and the only reason Jack knew she was still in the call was because he pulled his ECHO away to make sure she hadn’t disconnected. “I’m _sorry._ ”

Silence met his apology and Jack held his breath, wanting to reach through the phone to hug Angel close and wanting to chuck it against the wall in the same moment. It was a while longer before he heard anything, and even then it was only the slightest intakes of air as Angel took another pause before speaking.

 _“You couldn’t tell me this in person?”_ Her voice was soft, trembling. _“You always_ do _this-”_

“I’m not good with- with,” Jack scrambled for the words, almost choking on them, the truth aching in his throat. “With emotional confrontations. I can’t- Angel, baby, it’s _easier_ for me like this-”

 _"What about_ me? _What about what’s easier for me, Jack?”_ Accusation, biting, ripping into his heart and sounding so much like her mother that Jack wanted to rip his hair out. _“You just, you basically told me that I was- that I’m_ stupid _or something! Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I don’t know what I’m talking about!”_

“I never meant to imply that you’re anything less than genius, sweetheart,” Jack could practically _feel_  her glare through the phone as he tried to keep his voice even and calm. “But I’m sorry I made you feel that way nonetheless. It’s...difficult to explain, baby doll-”

_“Try me.”_

Jack took a deep breath and leaned back onto his sofa, kicking his feet up on the coffee table and trying to achieve more comfort than he was actually feeling.

“You understand to an _extent,_ sweetheart, but not _entirely_ . And I know, I _know_ how things seems when you’re young, when everything seems easy and simple and like it can be solved within seconds, but it’s not,” Another shuddering breath, and he was sure Angel could hear the nerves in his voice across the phone. “It’s not like that, and not every situation can be solved as easily as you think it can.”

 _“But if you just_ talk _to him-”_

“And risk him rejecting everything? Baby, just because you see things one way _does not_ mean that’s how they actually are. If he doesn’t return even an _ounce_ of affection, then I’m risking ruining a perfectly good friendship and work relationship.”

Silence reigned supreme once more, Angel’s soft breaths coming in gentle huffs across the line as Jack struggled to not throw his phone on the floor, hand clenching around his ECHO.

“Angel,” He began, voice weary and tired. “Please just trust me on this, sweetpea. And I know you hate to hear it, but this is definitely something you’ll understand when you get older.

_“....Alright, papá.”_

* * *

 

A pattern developed over the next week between Rhys and Jack, and it only served to set Rhys on edge, his teeth grinding at every mention of Handsome Jack, CEO and Douchebag of the Year. 

They would meet in the lobby sometimes, whether it was the early morning or late evening it didn’t matter, but Jack would look at him once, hold some emotion in his eyes, and then look away as if Rhys didn’t even exist. Rhys one-upped him and didn’t even bother to really _look_ at Jack. He was nothing more than another face in the crowd, and his avoidance of the man caused him to miss every glare and furrow of Jack’s brows.

It was harder to avoid making eye contact and small talk when they got stuck in the elevator together, even more so to ignore the other’s existence completely. Jack always climbed in a few floors after Rhys entered the box, and he _always_ seemed to stutter in his steps when he noticed Rhys was inside. The CEO would either proceed to scowl at him from the opposite corner without so much as a _hello_ , or he would greet the Robotics head and then immerse himself in his ECHO device.

Rhys grimaced and clutched at his sides. He didn’t know what was worse, seeing clumsy proof that Jack was just as nervous as he was at times, or suffering through the glare and indifference. Both made him wish that the elevator floor would just drop out from underneath him and plunge both of them down the elevator shaft, lost to darkness and the depths of Hyperion.

The absolute worst was board meetings, however. Jack called them more often due to the shifting climate in the company and wanted feedback from his metaphorical round table, and as the Head of Robotics, Rhys had a mandatory invitation to each one.

The meetings themselves weren’t bad, and it was good to hear about what was happening in the rest of the company. Many of his fellow upper managers had plenty of insight to share and valuable opinions on the current state of Hyperion. Rhys himself even managed to wow a few of them with one of his reports.

No, the terrible part was Jack’s treatment during these meetings.

Every time without fail, Jack would push Rhys’ report to the very end, and it wasn’t because he was saving the best for last. No, Rhys was forced to present to a room of people that were tired and just wanted to _leave_ , faced with their nearly-blank stares and stifled yawns behind polite hands. And Jack-

Jack would pull out his _ECHO_ and tap away at the screen, not even bothering to pay attention to what Rhys had to say. Or he would turn to someone else and whisper with them, though Rhys could tell by the way the recipient would pale that nothing Jack had to say was _good._ Once, Jack even got up from his seat and _walked out_ of the room altogether, effectively ending the meeting since no one saw any reason to be there if the CEO himself didn’t see fit to sit through the rest of it.

And then it happened a second time and Rhys-

Rhys was _tired._

Jack left the room and a hush fell over everyone, quickly followed by that awful, awkward air of secondhand embarrassment and pity. Rhys dropped his report files on the table before he threw them at someone’s face in flustered anger and packed his things up before anyone else could move, shoving papers and pens into his bag with more force than necessary, and he left.

Rhys didn’t stop walking until he was at the bus stop outside, hands shaking as they clutched his ECHO, trying to send a text to Vaughn.

_‘Left early, had an intern take the car keys to you. See you at home.’_

* * *

The house was empty when Rhys returned, both Vaughn and Athena still at work, and his pain at being outright insulted like that for a _second time_ , by Handsome Jack no less, stung so badly that he was stuck with tunnel vision until he was in the safety of his home, not even noticing Jack’s sleek, black car in the driveway next door.

Once inside, Rhys collapsed against the door, hot tears stinging at the corners of his eyes. Why was Jack being like this, he asked himself, why the _fuck_ was Jack yanking him around like this. There were so many mixed signals coming from the man and Rhys didn’t even know where to start. The _touching_ and the pet names, the _fucking_ arm that was worth more than his own car, the overheard conversation between father and daughter-

Rhys pressed the heel of his flesh hand into his eye, fighting back tears.

If _any_ part of that argument was true, then why the _fuck_ was Jack acting like this? Like he was trying to push him away? What was the _point?_ Was Jack so against human emotion that his solution to feeling anything for anyone other than his own daughter was to cut them from his life?

How does anyone live like that?

Rhys sobbed against his palm for a few minutes before he decided that he was being absolutely _childish_ about the whole thing and bit his lip to stop from gasping and heaving. He genuinely _liked_ Jack, even though he was an asshole at work. He was- Jack was _something else,_ something new and strange and altogether intriguing, and every facet drew Rhys to him like a moth to flame and he nearly hated himself for it.

He was falling for a single father with a _bee farm_ and a billion dollar corporation.

People don’t _do_ that.

“I’m a fucking _mess,_ ” Rhys sighed, rubbing a hand down his heated face.

Rhys heaved himself from the front door and trudged to his room, feet dragging like he was walking to the gallows, ready to be hung. He was just so _tired,_ mentally and emotionally exhausted from the events both at home and at work, and all he wanted to do was relax in his own bed. He ventured to his dresser and dug out a pair of sweats and threw them on the bed, followed by an old band shirt that was used more for sleeping than everyday use, and then went to his closet to hang up his vest and tie.

Rhys stilled, eyes immediately landing on the neat, dry cleaned jacket hanging in his closet.

_Fuck._

All the day’s frustrated seemed to well up in him at that moment, and instead of his childish fit at the door, Rhys felt it all mount into _rage._ He tore the jacket down from it hanger and clenched the material in his fists, delighting in the small, soft creaks the leather gave as he did so. With decidedly more purpose and direction than he had before, Rhys marched out of his room and back out of the front door, fully intending on throwing the vile clothing article in the garbage.

A glint caught his eye, leading it to the car in the driveway next door.

Rhys stopped right before the garbage can on his curb and stared at the car, mind processing what it meant and the new possibilities before him. Without much further thought, Rhys stomped his way over to Jack’s front door, knocking until somebody answered. When he noticed that it was Angel and not her father, his expression softened considerably.

“Angel,” The teenager gave him a confused wave in turn. “Where’s your father, sweetness? I need to speak with him.”

“He’s in the backyard...Is everything okay, Rhys?”

“Everything will be okay in a moment. How do I get to-”

Angel gently took him by the hand, pointedly _not_ saying anything about the jacket in his other one, and led him to the backdoor. The wooden door was open to let in a breeze, but the screen door was shut and distorted the image of the yard outside. Rhys couldn’t see clearly through it, but he knew Jack was in a far corner, kneeling down by some flower bushes.

“Thank you, Angel.” He left the teenager at the door, not bothering to look back to catch her expression or the slightly giddy giggle that left her mouth.

“Jack,” He called, making sure his voice carried across the yard. Rhys saw Jack’s shoulder stiffen and grinned inwardly. “Jack Lawrence, I have a few choice words to share with you.”

Jack rose up on his haunches before coming to a complete standing position, turning towards Rhys with tense shoulders and a scowl most fierce. He had hedge clippers in one hand and a cut flower in the other, its petals a soft yellow.

“What are you doing in _my backyard-”_

_Whump!_

Jack’s jacket met his face with a soft thump and fell to his feet, crumpled and sad. Jack blinked at it in disbelief before he looked up at Rhys again, face morphing into a snarl.

“What the _fuck-"_

“No!” Rhys said, coming right up into Jack’s face, pointing a sleek, chrome finger at him. “ _You_ do not get to talk right now, not after the _bullshit_ you’ve been putting me through.”

Jack, surprisingly enough, stayed quiet, staring at Rhys like he had grown a second head.

(Really, he was just trying to get over the fact that he was falling head over heels in _love_ with this gangly mess of a man who had the guts to snap at him like he did.)

“First you practically drown me in attention. There’s the touching and the praise and the- the _invasion_ of my personal space! You ripped my number from my records without even asking, you _spoil_ me with this ludicrously expensive prosthetic, and then you just-” Rhys whined, brows furrowing. “You just _dropped_ me as soon as I turned down the offer to be your PA. Just...just like that,”

“Rhys,” Jack made an attempt to reach out to him, dropping the clippers onto the grass away from their feet, but Rhys was having none of it.

“I’m confused, Jack, I don’t know what you want from me and I can’t keep this up.” Rhys wanted to sob, already feeling his face heat up. “I can’t-”

Rhys looked at Jack, tears brimming in his eyes, and took the moment of Jack’s stunned silence to examine him. His skin was getting darker than it already was from being out in the sun, and he had freckles dotting his skin. Lighter than Timothy’s, but still present. There was dirt smudged on his cheeks and up the bridge of his nose, which Rhys was sure Jack didn’t even notice, and-

And there was a _honey bee_ making a home in Jack’s hair, gently crawling along his curls and twitching its wings before taking flight and buzzing away to the colonies in the other corner of the yard. Rhys, paying no mind to Jack, watched the bee and followed its path, letting a soft, surprised smile overtake his face. Jack’s garden was certainly _something._

Flora and fauna crawled everywhere, blooming in nearly every shade of the rainbow, partnered with bees just doing their job and collecting pollen for their hives. Tall trees provided ample shade for the yard, and the grass beneath their feet was brilliantly green. Rhys looked back to Jack, back to the dirt on his cheeks and the bees flying around him.

_Oh goddamn it,_

“Fuck you,” Rhys grabbed Jack by the collar of his mangy, yellow, _eyesore_ of a sweater and pulled him close. “And your fucking bee farm.” Their lips met in a rough kiss that Rhys _hoped_ conveyed his emotions more accurately. He pulled the CEO closer, or tried to, as Jack was still holding onto the flower between them and Rhys didn’t want to crush it.

But,

But Jack wasn’t responding.

He was stiff against Rhys, body tense like he was ready to bolt, and when Rhys backed away he saw that Jack’s eyes were wide and staring at him like he had just _murdered_ someone. Instantaneously, Rhys felt his heart drop to his stomach. He felt it drop and be devoured by his stomach acid, and the only relief from the pain would be disappearing forever. That elevator shaft seemed so comfortable in that moment, dark and deep and just enough to insure Rhys would never be seen again.

Jack would probably push him down if his expression was anything to go by.

“Well I seem to have,” Rhys patted down the wrinkles in Jack’s sweater, refusing to look him in the eyes. “To have ruined everything beyond repair.”

Rhys didn’t give Jack time to react and quickly turned on his heel, almost running to the back door and yanking it open, nearly crashing into Angel on his way in. He was out the front door and halfway across his own front lawn before Jack did anything, and that was to only run through his own house, Rhys’ name on his lips and movements frantic. Jack threw open his front door just in time to see Rhys slam his shut.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda short chapter because y'all have been waiting long enough for this, and also because the next scenes don't fit with the flow ya feel
> 
> I'll try to update soon ;^;
> 
> and I don't say this nearly enough, but I love and appreciate your comments _so much_. everything you says means so much to me and keeps me going throughout this endeavor, and I'm so glad you all like this enough to leave such kind, heart-felt words. Thank you.

Time seemed to stop as Jack stared at Rhys’ porch, waiting for the shock to catch up to him before his feet met the pavement and he ran to Rhys’ front door, his heart beating out of his chest as he balled up his fist to slam it on the wood.

“Rhys!” Jack probably pounded on the door harder than necessary, his chest heaving. “Rhysie, I’m coming in!” He reached down to turn the knob and let out a barely audible whine when he found that it was locked, resorting to slapping his hands on the door. 

“Come on baby, let me in!  _ Please _ , Rhys, open up for me.”

Jack leaned against the door, his forearms flat against his surface as he hung his head in between them. His body sagged as he realized just how  _ bad  _ everything turned out to be, and how desperately he wanted it to be  _ right.  _ From the other side of the door, he could hear Rhys hiccuping in between nearly silent soft sobs, and Jack imagined that he was probably leaning with his back against the door, flesh and blood arm lifted up to muffle himself.

“Rhysie,  _ please.  _ I ain’t mad, pumpkin. I was just surprised!” Jack slapped his hand on the door again. “I’ll get on my knees if I have to! Just open the door for me, Rhys!”

Let it be known that  _ Handsome Fucking Jack  _ was not above  _ begging  _ when the situation called for it.

The CEO waited for moment and heard Rhys sniffle from the other side, followed by a watery  _ “No, go away.”  _ that just about broke Jack’s old, withered heart in two. Jack whined and exhaled deeply through his nose, heart stuttering in his chest as he tapped his against against the door, finding a steady rhythm in a series of short knocks.

“Let me in, pumpkin, please _ please _ please. I’ll do anything right now, Rhys, I swear to god. Do you want the moon? I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down for you.” If the situation were different, Jack would have allowed himself a smug smirk at his own reference, but at the moment his lips were stuck between a frown and being worried between his teeth, growing ever more tender by the second. “Or a promotion? Just to talk to you, Rhysie. I’ll make you Chairman. Executive! I’ll make you the  _ goddamn  _ CEO if it means you open this door. Hyperion’s  _ yours. _ ”

Jack thumped his forehead against the door and swallowed around the lump in his throat. Fire raced through his veins, but oddly enough he felt himself shivering, cold sweeping across his skin and leaving gooseflesh in its wake. Rhys was silent on the other side, and for a moment Jack thought he might have left. His stomach turned at the thought and his throat tingled, like vomit was forcing its way up from his own,  _ stupid  _ anxiety. 

Then, there was a  _ click _ , the turning of a lock. 

To Jack, it sounded like an angels’ choir. 

He straightened up before he tripped through the threshold, hands finding purchase on the door frame, and he took in the sight of Rhys. Jack trailed his eyes up, from the shine of Rhys’ shoes to the wrinkles in his collar, and then allowed himself to look at the man’s face. His eyes were rimmed with red and already looked to be swollen, which just added to the puffy appearance of his face. His cheeks were pink and blotchy, covered in tear tracks that went all the way to his chin and down his neck, accompanied by droplets on his shirt. Like he had guessed, Rhys had been using his flesh arm to muffle his noises, evidenced by the fact that his sleeve also had tear stains. The manager’s hair was tousled and unkempt, like he couldn’t stop running his hand through it, and Jack only want to tangle his fingers in the mess to pull him closer. 

“You’d give up Hyperion for me?” Rhys said finally, voice drenched with uncertainty. 

Jack didn’t answer. 

“...Don’t make me regret opening this door.”

The CEO reached out for Rhys, hand held high and going towards his head.

“Jack?”

Rhys looked so lovely when he cried. 

Jack threaded his hand through Rhys’ hair and tugged him forward, his other hand coming up to cup the man’s face, his thumb rubbing across the apple of his cheek and smearing dirt there. Jack kissed him. 

He kissed Rhys with a gentle fervor that sent shivers down Rhys’ spine, his head tilting to the side as he pulled the manager closer to him. Jack angled his lips just right and moved them against Rhys’, spurned on as Rhys began to kiss back with a soft sob against his lips. Rhys reached for Jack and clenched his hands in that awful yellow sweater, certain he would rip the material, and clung to him like he was providing him with life. The kiss was slow, gentle, and with enough pressure to make Rhys gasp as Jack softly bit into his bottom lip. 

It was over much sooner than Jack would have liked.

Rhys found himself and pushed Jack away, using the leverage he had by clenching his hands in his sweater to keep the man away from him even when Jack tried to chase his lips. Fresh tears welled up in his eyes as his chest began to heave again, and Rhys heard static in his ears as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

“ _ What are you doing. _ ”

Jack trailed his thumb across Rhys’ cheek again, following him even as Rhys turned to the side.

“Kissing you.”

Rhys desperately tried to ignore the way Jack’s eyes seemed to  _ devour  _ every last detail of his face, and found himself shrinking under the attention.

“ _ Why? _ ” He finally asked, voice quiet and trembling. 

“Because I need to.”

Rhys laughed, the gesture clipped and short, humorless at best, and he covered his mouth with his metal hand, his eyes going up to the ceiling to avoid Jack’s gaze. 

“I’m being serious here, Rhys.” Rhys scoffed again and shifted his feet. He allowed Jack to put his other hand on his hip, if only so that the Robotics manager could be selfish for a moment and let himself relish in the feeling and implications of the gesture. Before he knew it, Jack’s hand on his cheek moved to cup his jaw instead, and he was turned to face him.

“Because I need you to understand that I  _ want  _ you, that that kiss in the garden caught me by surprise and that I would like nothing more than to try it again and press you into the grass.” Rhys whined and tried to turn his face away, but Jack’s grip was tight against his skin. “Because I need to show you that I can do this emotion thing even though I have  _ problems  _ and commitment scares the hell outta me. I have three constants in my life: my brother, my daughter, and my company, but I want you to be there too. I just-”

Jack pulled Rhys close, encouraged by the fact that he offered no resistance, and leaned their foreheads together. He nuzzled Rhys’ nose and cheek and slid his lips across Rhys’ without making true contact, delighting in the needy sighs Rhys let slip as his brown and blue eyes closed. 

“I don’t know how or when it happened, but you did something to me, and it makes me want to be with you.”

Jack placed lingering kiss on Rhys’ lips, simply pressing their lips together without a sense of urgency. Rhys could feel a tingle run down his spine at the motion, and found himself leaning in to the kiss, prompting Jack to wrap his arms around Rhys’ waist and tug him close. Rhys sighed heavily into the kiss, his brows furrowing as he pulled away again, refusing to look at Jack.

“You can’t just-” Rhys gulped and shook his head minutely. “You can’t just  _ kiss me _ and confess and expect me to cave in. I- I don’t know where I stand with you, Jack. One day you can’t stop smothering me and the next, I’m nothing more than the dirt on your shoe.”

Jack tightened his arms around Rhys’ waist and scowled, though it was more at his own dumb, idiotic self than Rhys. 

“I panicked! I can admit that. I  _ friggin’  _ panicked. I didn’t know what to do and I was scared.  _ God,  _ I was terrified, and you were throwing me for a goddamn loop with your legs and your laugh, and the way your eyes light up when you’re working, and-”

The CEO groaned and scrunched his eyes shut, leaning forward to rest against Rhys’ forehead again.

“And the way Angel talks about you, how you treat her like a normal  _ fucking  _ person, and how you deal with this mess named Jackson Lawrence.”

Rhys was silent again, his lithe body shaking every so often with a swallowed sob, but his hands were still curled in Jack’s sweater and he was tugging rather than pushing. Rhys sighed, weary and tired, and shifted against Jack, slotting their lips together in a chaste kiss. He exhaled against Jack’s lips, eyes closed and not seeing how Jack’s bore into him, memorizing every last eyelash and mole across his cheeks.

“You confused me.” Came Rhys’ voice, soft and trembling.

Jack cringed at the accusation. “I know.”

“I’m still unsure of where I stand.”   
“I’m trying to fix that.”

Rhys pulled away to look Jack in the eyes, reaching up with his cybernetic to cup Jack’s face.

“ _ You hurt me. _ ” 

“ _ Lo siento, mi amor. _ ”

“Don’t you pepper Spanish into this, you jackass.” 

Jack couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at the remark and leaned in to kiss Rhys’ cheek, moving along his cheekbone until he was within reach of the man’s ear. He whispered softly to him, arms pulling Rhys in more.

“I said,  _ I’m sorry, my love. _ ” Jack nuzzled along the length of Rhys’ neck, gently kissing the skin he could reach. “I didn’t want to. I didn’t mean to. I-”

“It doesn’t matter what you  _ meant  _ to do. What matters is that your actions  _ hurt  _ me, Jack.” The CEO in question could feel Rhys’ throat vibrate with his speech, and how it bobbed when Rhys swallowed. Jack wanted to kiss and bite every bit of the man’s neck until it was purple, but settled with peppering kisses back up towards Rhys’s face as he cupped his cheeks and placed another light kiss on his lips.

“I realize that now, and  _ I’m sorry, Rhys.  _ Let me make it up to you, let me do this  _ right. _ Let me  _ try.” _

Silence reigned again as Rhys met Jack’s eyes and worried his bottom lip between his teeth, willing himself to not back down and look away again. The man’s eyes were intense, shades of green and blue boring into his own mismatched eyes, pleading. Rhys’ stomach flopped as he realized that he had the most powerful man in the city practically begging on his hands and knees for him, and that that very same man was hopelessly,  _ foolishly _ baring his heart for someone like  _ him.  _ His heart skipped and Rhys tightened his hands in Jack’s sweater.

“You have a lot of work to do.” 

Jack’s face lit up with hope, the expression looking surprisingly innocent and  _ pure  _ on the man’s face, and a light flush swept his dirt-smudged cheeks. 

“A lot of time to make up.”

“I know, pumpkin,  _ I know. _ ”

Rhys pursed his lips together for a moment and stared Jack down. For his credit, the CEO’s hope didn’t diminish.

“I hate you right now.” Rhys said finally, lips tugging downwards as he dropped his eyes to the yellow fabric in his hands. “But I want to fall in love with you again.”

Jack’s mouth formed a small smile, his eyes slowly falling shut as he leaned against Rhys and pulled the man to him, lining their bodies up and relishing in the feel of Rhys wrapping his arms around his back. The slightly taller male buried his face in Jack’s neck and exhaled deeply, relaxing in the hold. He sighed into Jack’s neck and spoke, his words soft and muffled.

“You have one chance, Jack.”

“I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also look at this [awesome art](http://firewindmill.tumblr.com/post/142283199496/rhys-looked-at-jack-tears-brimming-in-his-eyes) [firewindmill](http://firewindmill.tumblr.com) made for this fic!!!! I couldn't stop screaming when I saw it!!  
> And there's [Minecraft bees](http://gongors.tumblr.com/post/142515704963/fucking-bandits-gongors-bzzzzzz-3-the-second) as well thanks to [fucking-bandits](http://fucking-bandits.tumblr.com).


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short and sweet.

Rhys slowly parted from Jack’s hold and kept the man at arm’s length. The sun, visible behind Jack, was slowly descending across the horizon and casting a dull glow on everything in sight. It made the dustiness of Jack’s skin stand out even more, and Rhys had to stop himself from counting each freckle across the man’s face. 

“I’m serious, Jack,” Rhys said at last, voice weary. “One last chance. We’ve been stuck in this dance for weeks now and it’s like you’re the only one who knew all the steps. I’ve been clogging along with two left feet and only knowledge of half the steps.”

Jack pursed his lips together and had the decency to look away, ashamed at himself. His hands clenched in the material of Rhys’ shirt, clinging to him almost desperately. 

“Emotions aren’t my forte.” He said quietly, eyes downcast. 

“So you said, but we aren’t  _ children.  _ You were acting like a kid on the playground who thought bullying his crush was the right way to go. I’m an adult, Jack, and so are you.  _ Act like it. _ ”

Jack looked at Rhys again, his expression sheepish and strange on his face. Ill fitting for someone like him. His eyes darted from the corners of Rhys’ mouth to his eyes, and he held his gaze for mere seconds before Jack let his eyes drop back down to the floor. He heaved a heavy sigh and reached up to run a hand through his hair and dragged it back down his face.

“Does it help if I tell you I was emotionally stunted by my guardian from a young age?” His voice was tired, and it trailed off into a deprecating laugh as Jack slouched against the door frame. Rhys bit his lip and shook his head, then vocalized his answer when he realized Jack wasn’t going to look at him again. 

“No…” Rhys began slowly, entirely unsure of how he was supposed to approach that delicate of a situation, and took Jack gently by the elbow, leading him inside before closing the door softly behind them. Rhys took them to the couch and sat down, his hand clasped around Jack’s. “But that’s something I believe we should talk about-”

Jack sent him a withering glare as he leaned back against the couch, but he didn’t take his hand from Rhys’ grasp. 

“-When you’re  _ ready  _ to, of course. Subjects like that can’t be rushed.” Rhys squeezed his hand reassuringly, a small smile finding its way to his face. “Especially when we’re just now starting to see eye-to-eye.” 

“About that, pumpkin, I-” A series of rapid knocks interrupted whatever Jack had to say and nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. Jack scowled at the front door where the knocks came from as Rhys got up to get door, making shushing motions at Jack as he went. 

Upon opening the door, Rhys was met with the sight of an out-of-breath Angel, her cheeks flushed and her chest heaving, eyes wide as she took in the sight of Rhys. Immediately, Rhys was sent into a panic at her appearance and Jack jumped up to his feet to run to the door, parental instincts kicked into overdrive. 

“Rhys? Did my dad come here? Is he-” Jack slotted himself in between Rhys and Angel, his hands moving quickly as he patted his daughter down as if to make sure she wasn’t hurt. He took her chin in his hand and turned her face this way and that, seeing nothing more than specks of dirt from helping him out in their garden.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart? What happened? Are you okay? Did someone try to hurt you? Who are they, where are they, do I need to call Athena? Tim? Wilhelm? God forbid,  _ Nisha _ ?”

"What?  _ No,  _ dad- Stop it, I just-” She swatted his hands out of the way and ignored the slightly pained whine he gave at the gesture. “I wanted to make sure you ran after Rhys and apologized for being as dense as a rock.”

“I- huh?” Jack backed away until he was standing next to Rhys, the expression on his face impossible to mistake for anything other than pure confusion. Beside him, Rhys choked and started laughing, covering it up poorly when Jack swiveled his head around to sneer at him. 

Angel rolled her eyes up to the very heavens and pushed her way inside the house, clearly taking Rhys’ side as she tangled her arms around his prosthetic and tugged him close, tongue out in cheeky rebellion as she looked up at her father. Rhys shrugged when Jack looked at him for answers, just as lost as he was.

“Has he apologized, Rhys?” The man in question looked down at her and nodded sheepishly, ever aware of the look Jack was giving them. “Good. Do you forgive him?”

That gave Rhys pause, but in his heart he knew the answer. There was just too much built up between them for Rhys to give in and push it all aside just like that. Rhys never thought of himself as one to hold grudges very long, and he didn’t think this one would last either. He sighed heavily and gave her a somber smile.

“Not yet, Angel, but I’m working on it.” 

They held each other’s gaze as Jack shifted uncomfortably beside them, rubbing the back of his neck and shuffling his feet on the flooring. Angel’s grip on Rhys’ arm tightened as she finally grinned up at him, teeth bright between her stretched lips. 

“Great. He’s been really stupid and doesn’t deserve immediate forgiveness.”

“Angel, that’s not- You shouldn’t say that, ” Rhys started, brows knitted together and lips turned down. Angel opened her mouth to reply but Jack’s hand settling on the top of her head silenced her, and she looked at him as he began to brush through her hair.

“Nah, she’s right, Rhys. My little girl has a good head on her shoulders and she knows stupidity when she sees it, and she ain’t afraid to call it out.” Jack gave Angel a wide grin which she returned. “Maybe if I had listened to her earlier, then you wouldn’t have anything to forgive me for.” 

Jack and Angel shared a look, their grins becoming nothing more than gentle smiles that conveyed emotions Rhys could not fathom, not without being a father himself. There was an understanding between them born from years of arguments and apologies thrown back and forth, from a single father learning how to work with his baby girl through the thick and thin. Rhys’ heart warmed at the thought, and he couldn’t help but pull them both close for another embrace. When they parted again, Angel’s eyes gazing up at them, shining with hope and love, Rhys took a deep breath and detached himself from the duo. 

“I think I know what we need to do.” Rhys paused, looking between Angel and Jack with an anxious energy. “To fix this, I mean, or at least start to.”

“I’m all ears, Rhys.” Jack said, conviction clear in his voice as he placed his hands on Angel’s shoulders. “I’m willing to do anything at this point if it means having you.”

Rhys smiled and ran a hand through his hair and down to his neck, rubbing the skin there before he offered his right hand to Jack. The man looked at it, slight confusion clouding his eyes, and looked back up to Rhys for an explanation. But Rhys merely smiled softly and shook his head, still offering his hand.

“I think we got off on the wrong foot, Mr. Lawrence.” Rhys started, his posture relaxing somewhat as the words started to come him. “If it’s okay, I’d like to start again.”

Jack blinked owlishly at Rhys, shock coloring his face. “You mean- You want to- ” Jack tightened his grip on Angel’s shoulders, brows furrowing. 

“A complete do-over? Just like that? We just, forget everything that happened and start over?”

“No,” Rhys said gently. “We keep our past mistakes in mind, and try to better ourselves and try to make this work, like we should have from the beginning.” 

Jack gazed at Rhys’ outstretched hand again, his lips pressed together in a frown. Angel turned her head and looked up at her father, blue eyes wide and pleading with him to accept the olive branch Rhys was offering. Jack seemed to ignore her gaze, solely focused on the hand still reaching toward him, and the man that it belonged to it. Starting over meant...Jack bit his lip, battling with himself. Starting over meant pushing aside everything that they had already shared, everything emotion that has already crossed between them, every moment they were together in the past. The quiet, intimate moments they shared when Rhys received his new arm, gone and forgotten. The kiss in the garden, as rushed as it was, but full of heartfelt emotion that Jack hadn’t experienced since his daughter was born, that rush of love and affection and sheer  _ panic. _

Gone. Banished. Pushed to the back of their minds like some sort of bad dream. 

But it also gave them a unique opportunity to rewrite everything. A new hope. A fresh beginning that would allow Jack to try again to win Rhys’ heart the right way, without childish games and undue hostility, and it would even the playing field.

It would be a dance that Rhys knew, one he could keep up with and stay in line with the steps.

“Dad…” Angel covered one of Jack’s hands with her own, still looking up at her father with a slight frown now on her face. “Don’t let this slip away.”

That seemed to snap Jack out of his trance and he leaned down to kiss Angel on the forehead as if to say  _ don’t worry. _ He straightened back up and locked eyes with Rhys, who had begun to lose hope, his smile wavering and his eyes shining with new tears threatening to fall. With a new found determination, Jack firmly grasped Rhys’ hand and grinned at him.

“You’re right. We’re long overdue for a fresh start.” Jack clapped his free hand on Angel’s shoulder as the teenager beamed up at her father and Rhys, a happy flush covering her cheeks. “Rhys, this is my daughter Angel. We live next door, and we’d like to welcome you to the neighborhood properly. How does dinner sound?”

Rhys returned the handshake with equal enthusiasm, his grin nearly splitting his face in half as he nodded. 

“That sounds fantastic, Mr. Lawrence. I’d love to.”

“Please,” He said, unable to keep the smile off of his face. “Call me Jack.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep on the look out for extra stories and a possible sequel.
> 
> I also want to thank everyone who's ever kudo'd, commented, subscribed, and stuck with this fic since I first started it. Your support has meant the world to me and I'm extremely happy to finally get the last chapter out, and I'm very sorry it's taken so long. But I just wanted everyone to know that I appreciate every last kind response to this fic, and I'm honored to have had you all join me in my attempt to finish this monster of a fic. 
> 
> Thank you all so very much, and I hope you enjoyed the ride!!


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